The artwork titled “In the Night Kitchen,” created by Maurice Sendak, is an example of Naïve Art (Primitivism) within the genre of illustration.
The artwork is a depiction of a fantastical scene consisting of two frames set against a night sky filled with stars. On the left side, a child dressed in brown overalls drinks from a large pitcher, standing inside an oversized milk bottle. The text above reads, “I’m in the milk and the milk’s in me.” The right frame continues this dreamlike narrative, showing the child now undressed, reclining inside the milk bottle with a satisfied expression, while holding the pitcher. In this frame, the text proclaims, “God bless milk and God bless me!” The simplicity and childlike quality of the illustrations, combined with the whimsical subject matter, exemplify the characteristics of Naïve Art.
