Duck Painting: Suits (The Emotional Significance of Harvey Specter’s Duck Painting in Suits)

Key Takeaway: Duck Painting (Suits)

The “Duck Painting” in the TV show Suits holds emotional significance for the character Harvey Specter, as it was made by his mother and represents a happier time before his family was torn apart by his mother’s affair. Its significance is revealed through a storyline involving a demand for its possession.

What Does the Duck Painting Mean to Harvey?

I’ve been binge-watching the TV show Suits on Netflix, and I just watched season 6 episode 12.

And, even though this episode might be old news for some of you serious Suits fans out there, I just had to write about what I think is the meaning behind Harvey Specter’s duck painting that hangs in his office.

So let’s get to it!

How Much Is the Duck Painting in Suits?

In season 6 episode 2, Elliot Stemple gave an ultimatum to Harvey:

1. Either Harvey had to give Stemple $20,000,000 (that’s right! 20 million dollars!!), or
2. Harvey had to give Stemple the “duck painting”.

If Harvey didn’t pick one of those two choices, Stemple was going to put Harvey’s law firm in the ground.

Why Did Stemple Want Harvey’s Duck Painting?

Stemple doesn’t care about the actual painting or the 20 million dollars. He only cares about taking the painting to give Harvey emotional pain.

For starters, Elliott Stemple calls Harvey’s painting, “duck painting”. Yet there’s no duck in the painting at all.

My guess is that this was a way for Stemple to devalue the painting. It shows he didn’t look at the painting long enough to even know what the subjects really are.

But, Stemple obviously knows that the painting means something to Harvey. Why else would he equate a painting to 20 million dollars?

“… you’ve had that thing as long as I’ve known you, and there’s no way a guy like you has a painting like that unless it means everything to him.”

Elliott Stemple (Suits, Season 6 Episode 2)

Who Painted Harvey Specter’s Duck Painting?

Harvey’s mother made the painting.

But we also know that Harvey’s relationship with his mother had dwindled in the past. In season 6 episode 12, he mentions that he hadn’t seen his mom in seven years.

When Harvey was a little boy, he caught his mom cheating on his dad. His mom had asked Harvey to keep that a secret from his dad. That secret lasted 20 years before Harvey told his dad the truth.

Harvey’s relationship with his mother had been in turmoil ever since he found out about the affair.

Why Was the Duck Painting Important to Harvey?

So, back to Stemple’s ultimatum…

At first, I assumed that Harvey would have handed the painting to Stemple without any further thought.

No problem, right? It’s better than paying $20,000,000!

Yet, Harvey is visibly torn when he hands the painting to Stemple.

So why is Harvey so attached to this painting? Why is he so emotionally connected to a piece of art that his mother created when he was little? A mother with who he clearly has a strained relationship with.

Even Jessica Pearson expresses her sympathy towards Harvey for having to give up the painting to save the firm.

“Harvey? I remember you told me that painting was the one happy memory you had of your mother before…”

Jessica Pearson (Suits, Season 6 Episode 2)

At the end of season 6 episode 2, we see a photograph of Harvey watching his mother paint the duck painting. This was a memory that happened before Harvey knew his mom was cheating on his dad.

I think that Harvey’s attachment to the painting is about his longing for a time when he was a happy little boy and his family was whole. He craves the comfort and safety he felt from his family before his mother had an affair.