The artwork titled “Scene V – Muscle. Couple Fighting” was created by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge in 1877. It is part of the “The Tale of a Wedded Life, in Ten Scenes” series and belongs to the Kitsch art movement. The genre of this piece is illustration.
The artwork depicts a chaotic and intense scene of domestic strife between a man and a woman. The woman, holding a broom in hand, appears to be in a fit of anger, while the man, with a raised fist, is engaging in the altercation. Both figures are rendered in a caricature style, characteristic of Coolidge’s illustrative technique. The figures’ exaggerated expressions and contorted bodies evoke a strong sense of conflict and turmoil. The background is simplistic and sketchy, focusing the viewer’s attention on the dramatic confrontation. This scene portrays a vivid snapshot of an acrimonious moment in a turbulent marriage, conveyed through a lens of humorous exaggeration inherent to the Kitsch style.
