“The Ox Suckling Romulus and Remus,” created by Mark Ryden in 1997, is an oil painting on canvas. The artwork belongs to the Lowbrow Art and Surrealism movements and falls under the figurative genre. This piece is part of Ryden’s series titled “The Meat Show.”
The artwork portrays a bucolic scene featuring a young blonde boy clad in blue overalls holding a leash attached to an ox. A tapestry adorned with a central Buddha’s head and flanked by an undeciphered script drapes the ox’s back. Below the ox, Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome, are seen suckling. The idyllic landscape in the background, with trees and a cloudy sky, enhances the surreal nature of this peculiar scene. The artist integrates whimsical and enigmatic elements, reflecting the distinctive style characteristic of Ryden’s “The Meat Show” series.
