Die große Nacht im Eimer
Encyclopedia
Die große Nacht im Eimer (The Big Night Down The Drain) is a painting by Georg Baselitz
. It was painted in the years 1962/1963 and hangs today in the Museum Ludwig
in Cologne.
One interpretation is that the painting shows a boy after masturbating, while another is that it depicts a hideous dwarf with a penis
of grotesque size. In both cases, the focus of the painting is sex
, and Baselitz's primary objective was to shock his audience. Baselitz said he used the erect organ "as an aggressive act or shock", and it was this attitude the genitals represent that was offensive.
In October 1963, the work, as well as the picture Der nackte Mann, shown in the west-Berliner gallery Werner & Katz, was seized by the public prosecutor's
office because of immorality. The criminal proceedings ended in 1965 with the return of the pictures.
Georg Baselitz
Georg Baselitz is a German painter who studied in the former East Germany, before moving to what was then the country of West Germany...
. It was painted in the years 1962/1963 and hangs today in the Museum Ludwig
Museum Ludwig
Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from PopArt, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It also features many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein....
in Cologne.
One interpretation is that the painting shows a boy after masturbating, while another is that it depicts a hideous dwarf with a penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
of grotesque size. In both cases, the focus of the painting is sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, and Baselitz's primary objective was to shock his audience. Baselitz said he used the erect organ "as an aggressive act or shock", and it was this attitude the genitals represent that was offensive.
In October 1963, the work, as well as the picture Der nackte Mann, shown in the west-Berliner gallery Werner & Katz, was seized by the public prosecutor's
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
office because of immorality. The criminal proceedings ended in 1965 with the return of the pictures.