When Amy gifts Penny a massive portrait of the two of them in Season 5, Episode 17, "The Rothman Disintegration," Penny's discomfort is palpable. She and Bernadette are quick to lay into the unflattering painting. "[It's] so ugly," they assert. Adds Bernadette, "Do you like pictures of yourself where you look like a man?"
Fans on Reddit were decidedly less critical of the painting. "She doesn't look like a man," wrote u/SkatingGeek. "They oversold how ugly the photo is." Similarly, u/TooBusyforReddit didn't knock the artistry, adding, "The painting itself isn't as bad as the show would have you believe." Fans agree that the gift's outlandishness comes from its enormous size, not to mention the grandiose frame that's fit more for a museum than a Pasadena apartment. Amy boasts that the portrait is 12 square feet, adding a sight gag that outweighs the ugliness of the painting itself.
Redditors also agree that the cringe factor comes less from the contents of the painting than from the gesture itself. "I think the painting itself is quite nice," wrote u/BodaciousToad. "But I do think it's kind of a weird gift to give to someone." Amy adds to the absurdity of the gift when she admits that it cost $3,000.
While the painting is an unnecessarily garish gesture, it does accurately portray the relationship between Amy and Penny – the former confident and oblivious as she drapes her arm over Penny, who in turn is overwhelmed with unease. At least Penny can take solace in the fact that the portrait's subjects are, thanks to some touch-ups, no longer nude.
