“Rosie’s Tea Party,” painted by Mark Ryden in 2005, is an oil painting that falls under the Lowbrow Art movement and the genre of genre painting. The artwork presents a surreal and unsettling tea party scene, infused with whimsical yet disturbing elements.
In the artwork, a young girl with blonde hair and a pink flower in her hair is seen preparing for a tea party. She holds a saw, poised to cut into a large piece of meat. Around the table are a mix of bizarre and innocent figures: a pink rabbit pouring tea, a baby doll, a toy doll couple, and various meats displayed on the table. The scene is set in a room with pastel pink and white striped walls, and a framed sign that reads “Be Good” hangs above them. The juxtaposition of the macabre elements with the innocent, childlike setting creates a disconcerting yet captivating visual narrative.
