The worst painting I have ever seen

 
The Source of Life, Leon Frederic, 1890

The Belgian Symbolist artist created paintings, like this mystical work, that explored the cycle of life, and here he must have reached his nadir. When I saw this hanging on the walls at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I burst out laughing. Keep in mind that the painting is at least 5 feet tall, and how overwhelming all these life-sized naked kitsch babies are when they are looming over you.

Sayings about taste keep running through my head now. But its not just me–the family who walked into the gallery after me also started laughing when they saw it.

5 thoughts on “The worst painting I have ever seen

  1. I am no one to give out ‘awards’, so I will not say that this is the worst painting I have ever seen, but I have now laughed twice on seeing it, the first time, 3 weeks ago when I visited that wonderful museum for the first time, and the second time now, on seeing its impact on you.

  2. You were just in Philadelphia? What a coincidence, Lorenzo! It’s amazing what a reaction it gets out of people..or amazing its still hanging on the wall. Hard to say

    Yes, Allison, scary is the word

    Hah, and Jafa your pic makes you look as if you are cringing in horror of it. Rightfully so

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