# Fine Art Special – the painting with the weirdest composition **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 9, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795 "2019-07-09T19:52:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/1 "2019-07-09T19:52:33Z")
Just got back from a day spent at [Scotney Castle](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scotney-castle) in Kent, England. When I go to [National Trust](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/) properties like this, I always play a game: I have to decide which of the paintings on display I am going to steal. And today? No competition. When you come across a painting with the title **Dwarves Gorging on Melons, and a Shipwreck** - that’s the one for me. — _Come on Trep, you’re funning with us – you’re making it up, yeah?_ Oh no I’m not. [Here it is](http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/792030)\*. And, as you will see, the composition has, well, dwarves gorging on melons. And a shipwreck. (Very small dwarves, I’ll grant you). [Faustino Bocchi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faustino_Bocchi), creator of this – uh – thing, apparently had a bit of a rep. > [@](#): > > Faustino Bocchi, (1659–1742) was an Italian painter, active in Brescia, who specialized in bizarre paintings of dwarfs. Did he ever. This is, I think, the oddest composition I have seen (though if I investigate Bocchi a bit further I may change my mind). I rate it weirder than Bosch because, so far as I can see, it has no meaning - it just is what it is. (Does it have a meaning?) But are there other works you know of that exceed it in weirdness of composition? Fine art would be best, but anything from the graphic arts that’s up there with it (or near it) is certainly worth knowing about. And if you have one to share, please link to an image if you can. j - - click to enlarge ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/2 "2019-07-09T19:57:21Z")
I thank you for bringing this example of extraordinary weirdness to my attention. Me, I’m a big fan of garden-variety weirdness, like Hieronymous Bosch and Peter Brueghel the Elder. But I admit that I’ve never heard of Bocchi before. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/3 "2019-07-09T19:58:43Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I thank you for bringing this example of extraordinary weirdness to my attention. > > Me, I’m a big fan of garden-variety weirdness, like Hieronymous Bosch and Peter Brueghel the Elder. But I admit that I’ve never heard of Bocchi before. Do an image search on his name - it just gets weirder. j ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/4 "2019-07-09T20:26:23Z")
Oh I quite like his work. Thanks for introducing me to him, **Treppenwitz**! ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/5 "2019-07-09T20:26:44Z")
I am a big fan of this “[Cats being instructed in the art of mouse-catching by an owl](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Lombard_School_c1700_Cats_being_instructed_In_the_art_of_mouse-catching_by_an_owl.jpg)”. Circa 1700 The musical instruments and the character in the upper right give it some artistic flair. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/6 "2019-07-09T21:21:03Z")
[This one](https://www.alamyimages.fr/photo-image-le-lion-mort-le-lion-devenu-vieux-frans-snyders-anvers-1579-anvers-1657-jan-wildens-anvers-1584-anvers-1653-belgique-belge-flamande-177177105.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=6FC3D53E-68D6-49CD-ABA6-A906464A5C03&p=16611&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dsnyders%26qt_raw%3dsnyders%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d) puzzled me for a while after coming across it in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux. A bunch of rabbits savaging a lion to death? In fact, I eventually turned up the explanation that there’s a Latin proverb _mortuo leoni at lepores insultant_, or “The lion being dead, even hares can insult him”. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/7 "2019-07-10T08:34:52Z")
I was familiar with Bocchi because I’m a big fan of Arcimboldo and a couple of Bocchi paintings are similar illusion portraits that get referred to. “[Dwarf saves companions from the attack by a Shrimp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faustino_Bocchi#/media/File:Faustino_Bocchi(1659-1741)._Nano_assalito_da_un_gambero_e_soccorso_dai_compagni,_Padova,_Musei_Civici,_Museo_d'Arte.jpg)” - I realise that’s the foreground action, but I find what’s going on in the background (by which I mean the giant enema) way more weird. In a way, Bocchi reminds me of medieval illumination [marginals, drolleries and grotesques](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Drolleries). There’s the same sense of “WTF? _Why_ is that[knight fighting](https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/09/knight-v-snail.html)[a snail](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-medieval-knights-always-fighting-snails-1728888/)? What’s up with all the [murderous rabbits](https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/03/14/medieval-terminator-rabbits/)?” to it. At least all the[fart jokes](https://io9.gizmodo.com/who-knew-illuminated-manuscripts-contained-so-many-fart-472867722) still resonate. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fine-art-special-the-painting-with-the-weirdest-composition/836795/8 "2019-07-10T15:41:46Z")
William Hogarth did some extremely interesting paintings and engravings depicting the follies of 18th century Britain, but he also did some extremely weird stuff. I give you “The Punishment Inflicted on Lemuel Gulliver”, showing the Lilliputians giving him an enema: > **[William Hogarth | The Punishment Inflicted on Lemuel Gulliver | The...](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/392597)** > > Inscription: title continues: "by applying a Lilypucian fire Engine to his Posteriors for his Urinal Profanation of the Royal Palace at Milendo which was intended as a Frontispiece to his first Volume but Omitted" in plate: "Nahtanoi T finis /... [https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection\_online/collection\_object\_details/collection\_image\_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=336649001&objectid=1419707](https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=336649001&objectid=1419707) Or “The Weighing House”, graphically showing how bright or stupid one is by how he’s suspended: > **[The Weighing House by William Hogarth. Weighing the degrees of dumbness and...](https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-the-weighing-house-by-william-hogarth-weighing-the-degrees-of-dumbness-20809386.html)** > > Download this stock image: The Weighing House by William Hogarth. Weighing the degrees of dumbness and foolishness. - B5RXGA from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. Or his Art of Caricature [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bench_(Hogarth)#/media/File:Bench_second_state.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bench_(Hogarth)#/media/File:Bench_second_state.jpg) Or this wacky piece where he throws the rules of perspective out the window: > **[Hogarth’s “Satire On False Perspective”](https://annepercoco.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/hogarths-satire-on-false-perspective/)** > > This engraving from 1754 by William Hogarth contains numerous “errors” in perspective. Can you find all 17 listed on Wikipedia? This would be a great assignment for a 2D or drawing clas… Or The Bruiser, where he took a perfectly good engraving of himself and his dog, burnished out his image, and drew a satirical piece condemning someone who he felt libeled him. He had his dog urinating on his opponent’s works: > **[William Hogarth | The Bruiser (Caricature of Charles Churchill) | The...](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/399152)** > > Inscription: in plate: "Design'd and Engraved by Wm Hogarth. Price 1s. Publish'd according to Act of Parliament August 1.1763" in plate: "The Bruiser C. Churchill (once the Rev-d) in the Character of a Russian Hercules Here’s the original engraving: > **[William Hogarth, 1687 - 1764. Painter and engraver](https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/31814/william-hogarth-1687-1764-painter-and-engraver)** > > William Hogarth, 1687 - 1764. Painter and engraver