Pee Break
A hand-painted oil portrait “Pee Break” by the Fart studio. Nuclear love and pee.
What the painting shows
The painting shows a huge mushroom cloud rising over a forest. The cap of the cloud is wide and flat, glowing from inside in orange, gold and bright yellow at the edges, while its core turns into rusty and burgundy billows of smoke. A vertical column of fire runs from the ground to the cap like a glowing, jagged bolt of lightning, and pink-red clouds of dust spread out at its base.
The sky is cool and contrasting: dark navy at the top, turquoise green lower down. At the bottom there are dark silhouettes of spruces and pines and a stretch of water, a lake or river, lit by a reddish glow, with two wooden posts of a jetty or footbridge.
In the bottom left corner there is part of a figure in warm white, brown and ochre tones, shown close up, as if the viewer were looking over someone's shoulder. The title "Pee Break" and the caption "Nuclear love and pee" suggest an absurd, intimate toilet stop set against the end of the world.
Technique and style
A vertical oil painting on canvas, with smooth, softly blended colour transitions in the cloud and a strong warm–cool contrast. Light is the main subject: the mushroom cap shines like the sun, and red reflections fall across the forest and water. The composition pairs an apocalyptic motif with everyday banality, typical of the gallery's absurd humour.
At a glance
- Medium: oil paint
- Surface: canvas
- Orientation: portrait (vertical)
- Dominant colours: orange, gold, yellow, burgundy, pink, navy, turquoise
- Subjects: mushroom cloud, nuclear explosion, forest, lake, apocalypse, absurd humour
Fun fact
In 1958 the US Air Force ran a secret plan called Project A119 to detonate an atomic bomb on the Moon, so that the flash would be visible from Earth and impress the Soviet Union. A young Carl Sagan was on the team, calculating how the dust cloud would spread. The plan was dropped, and its existence only became public in 2000.
Want a similar painting?
The Fart studio paints commissioned artwork: portraits of people and pets, landscapes and absurd scenes like this one. You can order a similar piece featuring mushroom cloud, nuclear explosion, forest, starring your own pet, a loved one or your favourite place. Just describe your idea in the contact form and attach a photo.