When we think of memes, we rarely associate them with something sophisticated or intellectual. Yet, such a genre exists: classical art memes. Well, they may not be particularly academic or require you to have a degree in Fine Arts; they're more of a bridge between the snobbish art world and the Internet spaces brimming with irony.
One Instagram page does classical art memes exceptionally well, pairing them with witty modern-day captions. The visual part of the memes is the acclaimed works from the masters of art, and the captions are about things that matter to our generation: Tinder, naps, and how many cats are actually too many cats.
More info: Instagram
#1
Image credits: classicalcringe
#2
Image credits: classicaldamn
#3
Image credits: classicaldamn
The classical art memes account we're covering here has been going strong on Instagram since 2018. Today, it has over 300k ardent followers who like their humor, in the words of the great bard Harry Styles, mixed with a bit of intellect. The goal of the creator is simple: "I put modern day captions on classical paintings to make you laugh," the page's bio reads.
Back in 2022, when we covered the Instagram page for the first time, the creator told Bored Panda that art history was their hobby for quite some time before they decided to start this page. "I always used to come across these paintings that looked like they were exactly made for a meme," the creator told us back then.
#4
Image credits: classicaldamn
#5
Image credits: classicaldamn
#6
Image credits: classicaldamn
The creator of the page told us in a previous interview that they believe the key to the success of this page is its relatability. The captions are all about relationship problems, reflections on today's politics and religion, and, of course, some meta Internet stuff. "Even though the paintings are hundreds of years old, their expressions and captions make it seem they are one of us," the creator said.
Some say that pages like these make classical art more accessible to younger generations: making it funny, easier to understand, and more relatable. The creator of the meme page believes that tech in general helps make art and art history more accessible. "More and more people have started appreciating art after seeing them on their feeds and then trying to learn more about their backgrounds. Technology has made its interpretation and access inclusive."
#7
Image credits: classicaldamn
#8
Image credits: classicaldamn
#9
Image credits: classicaldamn
One reason why classical art memes work so well is that they're captioned with modern-day takes. Classical art meme creators put two things that seemingly shouldn't work together, but they do. It's what makes them funny, actually. It might seem bizarre to draw similarities between meme culture and classical art, but it's that juxtaposition that makes it so funny.
#10
Image credits: classicaldamn
#11
Image credits: classicaldamn
#12
Image credits: classicaldamn
Some say that Marcel Duchamp's famous "L.H.O.O.Q." repainting of the Mona Lisa can be considered a sort of classical art meme as well. Duchamp repainted Da Vinci's masterpiece and added a mustache and a goatee on the subject's face. The piece's title, "L.H.O.O.Q." translates into a vulgar French saying, "complimenting" the woman's behind.
#13
Image credits: classicaldamn
#14
Image credits: classicaldamn
#15
Image credits: classicaldamn
Art historians say that we can call Duchamp's painting a sort of a meme because there's text on the replicated image, there's a humorous intention, and it's Duchamp's way of critiquing society. It became a symbol of the Dada movement, based on rebelling on everything that art represented.
#16
Image credits: classicaldamn
#17
Image credits: classicaldamn
#18
Image credits: classicaldamn
What about those who say that playing with classical art pieces to make memes is equal to desecrating them? Ross Carver-Carter has an answer: "Comical captions make art far more appealing and wide-reaching than they were sequestered away in temples of culture which shrouded works behind indecipherable jargon," he writes in his Medium.
#19
Image credits: classicaldamn
#20
Image credits: classicaldamn
#21
Image credits: classicaldamn
In fact, meme-ing classical art has changed how we interact with it. What once seemed unapproachable and locked away in museums and private collections is now something we can alter and play with. "People can take and make meaning in old works and make them their own with no placards to tell them what to think and what to feel," Carver-Carter wrote.
#22
Image credits: classicaldamn
#23
Image credits: classicaldamn
#24
Image credits: classicaldamn
Aside from memes, is art even more accessible to us today than it was, say, 20 years ago? Some would argue that yes. Some call exhibitions like The Immersive Van Gogh Experience and merchandise like the Dr. Martens x Jean Michel Basquiat a step toward more accessibility. Others call it kitsch, not "real" art.
#25
Image credits: classicaldamn
#26
Image credits: classicaldamn
#27
Image credits: classicaldamn
But the reality is that "real" art is still behind closed doors in museums and galleries and millionaires' private collections. In a way, classical art memes can be an act of rebellion; the context of the artwork itself has little to do with the meme itself.
''Memes don't seek to tease meaning that was ever intended in pieces, they confer a meaning by manipulating them," Carver-Carter points out. "That is their power. They are not a misunderstanding but a deliberate alteration."
#28
Image credits: classicaldamn
#29
Image credits: classicaldamn
#30
Image credits: classicaldamn
So, Pandas, what did you think of this collection of classical art memes? Did you recognize any of the paintings? Let us know in the comments! And if you want to see our previous articles about this classical art memes page, head over here, here, and here for more!
#31
Image credits: classicaldamn
#32
Image credits: classicaldamn
#33
Image credits: classicaldamn
#34
Image credits: classicaldamn
#35
Image credits: classicaldamn
#36
Image credits: classicaldamn
#37
Image credits: classicaldamn
#38
Image credits: classicaldamn
#39
Image credits: classicaldamn
#40
Image credits: classicaldamn
#41
Image credits: classicaldamn
#42
Image credits: classicaldamn
#43
Image credits: classicaldamn
#44
Image credits: classicaldamn
#45
Image credits: classicaldamn
#46
Image credits: classicalcringe
#47
Image credits: classicalcringe
#48
Image credits: classicaldamn
#49
Image credits: classicaldamn
#50
Image credits: classicaldamn
