The artwork titled “The Ecstasy of Cecelia,” created by artist Mark Ryden in 1998, is executed using canvas and oilcloth. This piece is associated with the Lowbrow Art and Surrealism movements and falls under the figurative genre. It is part of a series known as “The Meat Show.”
The artwork presents a surreal and whimsical scene where a young girl with a melancholic expression sits at a pink piano with the word “BLOOD” inscribed on it. The setting is a richly detailed and slightly eerie room decorated with a floral patterned curtain and an assortment of odd toys and figures. A prominent and peculiar jack-in-the-box figure with a clownish rabbit character pops out beside the girl, while a poodle-like figure stands nearby. In the foreground, a doll and a baby hold a piece of meat on the checkered floor. All elements combine to evoke a sense of curiosity and peculiarity, which is characteristic of Ryden’s work, blending the macabre with the innocent.