Painting of a monkey pooping on a toilet in a public bathroom, on a tile in a public bathroom

monkeyonpublictoilet

This photo of a gorgeous painting on a bathroom tile submitted by a true connoisseur of both monkeys and poop, The Butcher.  Look closely at this image.  It is actually painted on a real bathroom tile in a real bathroom — true creative and satirical genius.

So many questions come to mind while spending quality time with this objet d’art.

Is this a grey monkey wearing an orange sweater, or is it an orange monkey wearing grey gloves?  The monkey’s right (up in the air) arm-wrist border makes it appear that there is a grey glove on an orange arm — the width of the grey glove is clearly larger than the orange arm.  The monkey’s left (viewer’s right) arm clearly depicts an orange sweater on a grey arm — the width of the orange area is larger than the grey, giving one the perspective of an orange sleeve covering a grey arm.

The artist is playing with us.  Similar to the classic M.C. Escher “Hands Drawing Hands,” the artist presents two valid perspectives here –an orange monkey with grey gloves or grey monkey wearing an orange sweater.

But what is with the green thighs?  Pure brilliance — that’s what it is.  You weren’t expecting it.  I wasn’t expecting it.  But, there it is.  Just when you wrap your head around, “this is a grey monkey wearing an orange sweater,” ….. Bam!  Green thighs.  Bravo, unknown artist. Bravo.

If anyone knows who this artist is, please contact me.

Expert analysis from one of our readers (20 years as professional published author and appreciator of monkeys and art) and the submitter of the pic:

Clearly the Pooping Monkey seems aware and puzzled that he is being watched, and his blank facial expression makes me feel guilty for invading his privacy. “Why are you looking at a pooping monkey? ” the Pooping Monkey’s eyes ask us. Perhaps we should avert our gaze to allow for some privacy. But if that were the case, then the artist would have been intentionally creating art that he did not want viewed. I think that is unlikely. I also believe that the artist wants us to know that while, yes, at this exact moment the monkey is fully capable of coming in from the wild to use human plumbing, tomorrow he is just as likely to shit from the top of a tree. It must be considered and is entirely possible that the artist is playing a trick on all of us, and that the monkey is not actually defecating while on the toilet, but merely resting. If you look closely, the monkey appears to have food in his mouth. I think it is highly unlikely that a monkey could both eat and defecate on/in a toilet simultaneously. He must be just resting. Lastly, I think the artist has played one other ruse on us. One would assume that the aforementioned food in the monkey’s mouth is probably a piece of the banana he is holding. While that is obviously possible, I think a far more likely explanation is that the Pooping Monkey is actually eating marshmallows from a hidden bag or container.

— The Butcher

3 thoughts on “Painting of a monkey pooping on a toilet in a public bathroom, on a tile in a public bathroom”

  1. Clearly the Pooping Monkey seems aware and puzzled that he is being watched, and his blank facial expression makes me feel guilty for invading his privacy. “Why are you looking at a pooping monkey? ” the Pooping Monkey’s eyes ask us. Perhaps we should avert our gaze to allow for some privacy. But if that were the case, then the artist would have been intentionally creating art that he did not want viewed. I think that is unlikely. I also believe that the artist wants us to know that while, yes, at this exact moment the monkey is fully capable of coming in from the wild to use human plumbing, tomorrow he is just as likely to shit from the top of a tree. It must be considered and is entirely possible that the artist is playing a trick on all of us, and that the monkey is not actually defecating while on the toilet, but merely resting. If you look closely, the monkey appears to have food in his mouth. I think it is highly unlikely that a monkey could both eat and defecate on/in a toilet simultaneously. He must be just resting. Lastly, I think the artist has played one other ruse on us. One would assume that the aforementioned food in the monkey’s mouth is probably a piece of the banana he is holding. While that is obviously possible, I think a far more likely explanation is that the Pooping Monkey is actually eating marshmallows from a hidden bag or container.

  2. Hi, I’m an artist researching toilets for a project and came across this monkey/toilet image on your site, which I was inexplicably drawn to! I love the research you have done into it and I’d love to refer to your site and post in my own research, which will be published on a blog in association with my project (I am working on an installation for a toilet build in a new Art Hostel in Leeds). Would you have any problem with that?

    1. Hi Louise! You can certainly refer to our site. We are here to do whatever we can to help advance the global toilet community.

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