The painting "breaking up is hard to do" depicts two figures in distressing postures. The yellow male figure seems to have collapsed on a cliff shelf with the red female figure kneeling beside him. They appear to be on a camping trip in an inhospitable valley. The painting conveys the emotional upheaval of ending a relationship and presents a universal struggle. The use of crayon and marker, along with the exaggerated proportions and bold colors, adds a playful and ironic quality to the serious subject matter, inviting the viewer to gain perspective on heartbreak. The artist challenges us not to take ourselves too seriously and to find resilience and self-deprecating humor in intense experiences.
The yellow male figure seems to have collapsed and lies supine upon a cliff shelf. There is no sign of blood, but the awkward position of his legs and hands and the different shades of yellow that seem to be seeping out of him suggest he is in a dire condition. The red female is kneeling beside him. Her left hand reaches out to assess the man’s condition and perhaps to tend to him as best she can given their dire circumstances. The knapsack propped up on a rock in the lower left and the blue pup tent behind her suggest they are on a camping trip; a fairly ordinary adventure except for the blue road or river that presumably they used to get into this isolated valley is far away below them and the mountains in their bold colors and dramatic lines are inhospitable. The sky itself, although not stormy, is turbulent with a mix of white and grey clouds blending unevenly with gaps of open sky in different shades of blue.
Depicted is an emotional upheaval that can feel all-consuming in the moment, when one finally decides to end a relationship. Their bodies are indistinct and faceless, conveying a sense that this is a universal struggle they are attempting to overcome.
As Neil Sedaka put it rather glibly in his 1962 hit by the same title as this painting:
They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now, I know, I know that it's true!
Don't say that this is the end!
Instead of breaking up, I wish we were making up again
However, the artist's choice to render this scene using the medium of crayon and marker introduces a delightful sense of irony. The childlike, almost cartoonish aesthetic undercuts the gravity of the situation, hinting that even the most devastating heartbreak can, in time, become something we can look back on with a wry smile. As long as we survive it. At least one person has to walk out of the valley relatively unscathed.
