50 Times People Took Pictures, Only To Realize It Was ‘Accidental Renaissance’ (New Pics)
Generally, scholars agree that the Renaissance lasted from the 14th to the 17th century.
However, its influence is still evident in modern society, and a fun example of this is the appropriately titled subreddit 'Accidental Renaissance.'
This online community shares pictures that unintentionally evoke the aesthetic and thematic elements of the famous past era. Maybe it's true what Oscar Wilde once said, "life imitates art far more than art imitates life."
Continue scrolling to check out the images, and don't miss the conversation we had with art historian Dr. Sally Hickson. You'll find it spread in between the pictures.
This post may include affiliate links.
Chaplain Ivan Of The Orthodox Church Of Ukraine Reads A Prayer For Ukranian Servicemen
They can't even steal a picture properly. Anyway, "Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved" and here it is APTOPIX_Ru..._98278.jpg
Surveying The Feast
Yes! Hang a map on that wall an everyone will believe it.
Load More Replies...The godfather of the family is actually a cat. He will make you an offer you cannot refuse.
Many describe the Renaissance as a period of European cultural, artistic, political, and economic "rebirth" that took place after the Middle Ages.
To gain a better understanding of how it came about and the key ideas of the time, we contacted Dr. Sally Hickson, who is an Associate Professor of Renaissance Art History at the University of Guelph, Canada.
"The Renaissance is usually thought to be about the rediscovery of the individual, but I think it's more about the rediscovery of the 'self' as opposed to the collective sensibility of the Middle Ages," she told Bored Panda.
"Basically, it's about locating meaning in human experience rather than fixating on the Christian belief in the glories of the afterlife."
Ballet Dancers Photographed After A Performance
I would love to know what the performance was that had so many dancers and in identical customs to boot
I wonder if it was Swan Lake. None of them are wearing the hairpieces for that particular ballet though 😕
Load More Replies...His Fur In This Lighting Looks Like An Oil Painting
Parents Hugging Their Daughter After Her Face Transplant
This made me cry. It is so filled with love and compassion - of that family, and the family that donated their loved ones face.
TIL you can donate your face, that is fascinating and lovely. I wonder why one may need a face transplant?
Load More Replies...My fiancé 's face was donated. Along with everything else. I'm terrified of running into whomever has his face one day.
That's Katie Stubblefield. She was ill and tried to commit suicide by shooting herself. National Geographic did a big article about her.
Thank you for naming her. I found her incredible story here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/september-2018
Load More Replies..."It would take a team of 11 Cleveland Clinic surgeons and multiple specialists to perform the hospital’s third face transplant – and its first total face transplant – on Katie. At 21, Katie was the youngest person in the United States to receive a face transplant."
According to Hickson, the Renaissance was guided by the idea that the human experience of the world can lead to spiritual enlightenment; a new appreciation of nature, the senses, the body, the mind, and human potential.
Medieval art, on the other hand, was "more 'abstract' in that people weren't meant to imagine themselves as part of the imagery (most of it religious) — they're supposed to be overwhelmed and lost in all the gold and splendor and blinded by the light. In the Renaissance, people begin to see themselves."
Raising Caterpillars. A Lot Of People Told Me That This Picture Looks Like A Painting
I really hope the name for "baby monarch" is "prince"
Load More Replies...Ahh, it's a box on the ground...I thought I was looking at a wall or a window...🐛
My Granduncle Having Dinner In A Dark Room
Idk why someone underVotEd you, Xeno. Here my upvote. Because I understood that you mean the guy that take the photo has the duty of take care of his old family
Load More Replies...Isle Of Skye Stein Inn
Ooh they do really good Cullen Skink. I was three months pregnant and obsessed with it. Though I recommend eating it AFTER the wildlife boat safari, not before.
I've been here! :D it's a cozy place, does good, simple food, not too expensive either. (at least when I went, understandably covid, cost of living crisis, etc, might have driven up costs over the past few years) and the views over Loch Bay are lovely!
Ground floof sighting! Just add writer with scroll, feather, and inkwell.
I Was Told My Image Would Go Well Here. Thoughts?
However, what helps the members of the 'Accidental Renaissance' subreddit determine whether or not a particular picture belongs to their collection?
"The widespread use of single-point perspective is a key to recognizing early Renaissance works," Hickson explained.
"You know, tiny figures contained within a perfectly proportional world, usually including architectural settings that help to set the scale."
A Flemish Masterpiece
What regal disdain captured in all its glory! I have never seen a cat cat quite so well.
I am almost sure that is the same table and chairs that are at my cabin. 👍♥️
Otter Renaissance
One time, I was in Yellowstone and they had a road closed for 8 hours due to construction. My friends and I set up by a stream and played some frisbee to wait it out. A group of 3 otters swam by us. They were totally playing with each other the entire way upstream. That was special.
I love this and can totally picture it! These kind of moments are the best parts of traveling, especially in nature. Actually, these unexpected, small, beautiful moments are one of the best parts of life imho
Load More Replies...Florence And The Crowd
Thank you, I couldn't remember the word swoon for some reason.
Load More Replies...Talking about other common characteristics, there's also a focus on nature, but Hickson stressed that it's usually an idealized version of it. "It's all about creating a perfect image of the world," she highlighted.
"Along with the usual altarpieces and depictions of saints, there's an interest in mythological scenes — the reimagining of the ancient world."
Someone Told Me This Dramatic Floor Belonged Here
Bouche used to get her claws stuck in everything.
I'm going to assume the title is supposed to say "dramatic floof" instead of "dramatic floor" lol, but I love this. :D
A Baseball Game In Bhutan
Bug Inside Lamp (2023)
It's not going to end well for either the bug or the lamp.
A Drummer From A Concert That I Shot Today
A bit harsh. I'm sure you could have just lobbed something at him instead if he was that bad.
i shot the concert, but i did not shot the drummer guy .....
Load More Replies..."Mostly, Renaissance art is about balance and perfection, and the scenes are imagined as complete within the frame. Not bursting out all over, which happens in the Baroque," the professor summarized.
However, if you're browsing these pictures on your way to an exhibition and then misattribute a painting, don't beat yourself up over it.
"I have a lot of students who can't tell Renaissance art from later Neo-classical art, but that's not surprising," Hickson said. "It's all about order, balance, perfection. I mean, there are variations in the later Renaissance — a painter like Titian is really different from an artist like Botticelli — so there's a progression within the Renaissance that can kind of freak people out."
"The Renaissance is not just one thing in terms of visual language. It's about an evolution of visual language centered on the full range of human experience," the art historian added.
Snow Day
That woman is dragging a jogging baby stroller up the snowy hill? Is she planing to have the kid slide down???
Old Man And His Dog
This one reminds me of a post that was something like “Dad’s Who Didn’t Want To Get a Dog” and every single picture was of an older man and a dog he had come to adore cuddling (usually both passes out lol)
Again, symmetry in art! Sleeping subjects, both with downturned jowls echoing each other, the lighting and the shadows, the immediate sense of the relationship, comfort and trust. Complete with clean lines behind, via the blinds, drawing the eye from the curves of the overstuffed chair to the soft floral display, right down to the deposited glasses.
This may be my very favorite. The absolute trust of the doggie is precious.
Adoration At The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston
I'm lucky enough to live just behind Tate Britain so can go and see some of his work whenever I like!
Load More Replies...Indeed, the master of light. I recommend 'The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit.'
Excellent. Also "The Wyndham Sisters", "Dr. Pozzi", "Madame X", and "Mrs. Henry White." Nobody could paint white fabric like Sargent.
Load More Replies...LOVE that painting! I bet that lady was a hoot to be around. She had sass.
When we first published a piece on the subreddit 'Accidental Renaissance' at the end of 2020, it had 748k members, or as they call themselves, 'universalis personae,' which, translated from Latin, means 'universal persons.' Now, the figure stands at 939k. Clearly, the period is still relevant.
Plus, pop culture hasn't forgotten about it either. Last year, for example, Beyoncé released an album called 'Renaissance,' and the cover art appeared to be a homage to Adam van Noort's Lady Godiva, painted in 1586.
"Parts of the Renaissance get lots of attention," Hickson said. "[There's] a lot of hype around Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, essentially."
The Deer Lord And His 12 Disciples (Oc)
Having a hard time counting more than 11... but then again, Judas might be up to his old tricks
The Conversation
c. Thanksgiving, 2016 election, "An America Divided," gravy on canvas
This Really Ticks All The Boxes, The Guy Holding The Poster, The Other Sticking Out From The Fog In The Back And The Perfectly Exposed Flag
Wasn't it the picture of several men protecting a woman waving the flag from police's water cannon?
This must have been painted to hail the heroes of some of the French revolutions.
It's a pic of Europe winning the Ryder Cup..that's not water cannon it's Rory McIlroy spraying champagne.....
However, it's up for debate how intentional our interest in the Renaissance is and how much of it is fueled by artistic curiosity.
Dr. Sally Hickson was in Rome just a few months ago, and she said people are still flocking to the Sistine Chapel. "I'm not sure what they're doing there, though. It's something they know they should see, but for many, it's more of a religious pilgrimage than an artistic one."
"There are a few works that are wildly popular. If you go to the Uffizi Gallery, everyone's in the Botticelli room."
"The Renaissance is sort of a global standard for art that everyone agrees to agree about," Hickson observed. "Even if most art since the Renaissance has been a form of rebellion against that standard. And we mustn't forget how Western-centric the Renaissance was/is."
London Late Summer
All the ghosts of Carnaby Street are spinning in their graves like a rotisserie. No color, no style, no life.
An Unexpected Betrayal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_words_of_Julius_Caesar
Load More Replies...This happens here often. Audi doesn't understand the meaning of a safe word, so when Bouche hisses and growls, I have to distract the brat. Ever try to distract a Clydesdale?
Sightseers
Dunno why you were downvoted, Eric!!! You weren't rude, spiteful or anything negative. You made an observation. Nothing wrong here 🤓
Load More Replies...Took A Picture Of My Whisky And I Looks Just Like An Oil Painting. (Don't Pour Whisky In The Dark, A "Splash" Is A Lot)
Doordash Delivered Photo
*Rod Sterling voice* A house in the middle of nowhere, with just a small meal, in a bag, on the doorstep. Un-asked for, un-ordered, the knock at the door startled the occupant, Mr Taylor, who got up and opened it with trepidation. He was never seen again.
Load More Replies...My Sleeping Cats
There are two types of cats-those who sleep all neat and tidy with their nose and paws tucked in, and those who don't give a damn and let it all hang out.
Accidentally Got An Otherworldly Scene In The Vatican
Judging by the way she's posed, I don't think that's an accident. She's probably an influencer and the girl squatting on the right is her photographer.
Mark, did Jesus wear cork platforms and is practicing to walk on water?
"LOOK AT ME EVERYONE - AM I A BIRD? NO. AM I WALKING LIKE AN EGYPTION? NO. I'M GODZILLA - RAWR!" And that's when security tased Vera and her photographers. It seems that declaring yourself to be an atomic lizard king is considered a threat to the legitimacy of the Pope and direct action was called for.
Two Nuns Discuss A Painting
"Don't you think the guy standing up has better legs than the guy sitting down?"
Protest In Parliament
Good grief! And I thought our Congress here in the U.S. was nuts, but this is truly impressive!
This Chess Match, Played On Top Of A Washing Machine, In The Middle Of A Party
The party looks like it moved to the washroom. I love when parties are like that
Easier to raid the pantry that way. Less eyes on you.
Load More Replies...Kick the Knight away, good shout. It's fairly commital though, almost forcing you to castle Queen side.
Load More Replies...My Partner Trying To Make Our One Year Old Eat Her Dinner
That's a very big 1 year old, but also looks like your partner could use some help with feeding her, especially since there could be another child on board.
Somebody here thought about that maybe this is just NOT the one year old ... but an older sibling that is to be kept away from the one-year old that has to have dinner ? Anyway, this kid seems to have finished dinner :-)
Don't make kids eat! They will not starve, if you provide food. Let them decide when they're hungry. Keep emotionality out of food.
The Girl With Army Uniform, North Korea
I think it might be referencing the girl with the pearl earring?
Load More Replies...Though I think the title just highlights the one turning back from all others, as to show someone not going with the flow?
Load More Replies...Put them in uniforms, teach them to use weapons — and you still somehow call them “girls”? (*Shake my head at such idiocy.*)
Load More Replies...Found This One On R/Natureismental
Chasidic Gatherings Make For The Best Paintings
Modern people strictly ruled by tradition. Tradition is peer pressure from dead people.
You just blew my mind with "peer pressure from dead people".
Load More Replies...I'm not actually OCD but a part of me really wants to push those overhanging plates back onto the table.
The cat in me wants to push the overhanging plates OFF the table
Load More Replies...It looks like hundreds are watching a few eat. And platters are falling off the table! What event is this? (I would seriously like to know.) Cool photo
I need to read up on Hasidic Judaism because its always fascinated me.
I am dear, dear friends with a Hasidic family. Mainly because my Rabbi is ultra-orthodox, whereas I was raised moderate (just observing holidays) but if I do go to get-togethers now it's with the Liberal Jewish community. The only reason this man is my Rabbi is because the Rabbi from the liberal-community was always trying to get with me.
Load More Replies...According to the Reddit post it is a gathering for Tu Bshvat which is one of the four New Years. From what I read it sounds very similar to Thanksgiving in that it gives thanks to their crops. The man sitting is the Rabbi and after his reading they eat the seven fruits of Israel.
Load More Replies...A Lull
Finishing A Duel
The ceiling fan went from a 4 blade to a 3 blade but it's all for the sake of art. Right?
Japanese Parliament Brawls Are A Feast
That would never happen in the US House and Senate. Are you kidding? The average age of our representatives is 65 years old. Hand to hand combat would just be sad. Like watching someone drive a Ford Pinto through an antique furniture store in slow motion.
This Is Myself And Two Friends Of Mine. They Recently Broke Up. We Are At A Wedding. This Is The First Time They've Seen Each Other Since The Break-Up. Once Again, I Am Caught In The Middle
Everyone looks miserable. Why did they have to sit in the same row? Where is everyone?
Because the story is fake. Like pretty much everything on the social networks
Load More Replies...Leader Of Dutch Political Party Vvd Gets Interviewed The Morning After The Elections
Matthew Perry, if you squint real hard. The question is did she win or lose?
Lost big time, very big. Lost 10 seats in parliament
Load More Replies...The Agony And The Tragedy Of The Favorite Nesting Box
I'm a little surprised they are so big. My nesting boxes will only fit one chicken at a time. weirdly though - while the chickens seemed content to sleep in the various boxes, they often laid most of the eggs in a couple. Perhaps because when many of them go to lay an egg they go into whatever box where they already see an egg. Not sure.
My mum's chickens will sleep in the nesting boxes, but will lay pretty much anywhere but the nesting boxes.
Load More Replies...On The Set Of 'Saw'
Picture Of (Not) My American Girlfriend Cooking Pancakes And Smoking Pot For Breakfast
Probably better than eating the pot and smoking the pancakes. What would you do with the maple syrup?
I prefer edibles, they work better for those of us with pain related conditions.
Load More Replies...I'm not one to judge, I just never understood how people can smoke pot in the morning and still lead a productive day. I would he napping by 10am.
Hey if it's pancakes and weed on a Sunday instead of church or football, who are we to judge?
Load More Replies...What is she supposed to do after getting high, eat carrot sticks?! Pancakes are perfect in this situation!
Judging from the hair standing up on her arm, I'd say she's getting to where she wants to go!
It's legal here in Illinois. I'm going to go make some pancakes.
Load More Replies...The Trumpetist
Attempt To Restrain Shinichi Yokoyama
OP "On December 8th, 2018, Japanese Parliament voted on a hotly contested immigration reform bill that allowed foreign workers a path to Japanese citizenship. The plan was put forth by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier that year and was opposed by Japan's opposition party, as well as some in Abe's right-wing base. When Yokoyama attempted to move to hold a vote on the controversial bill, he was beset by members of Parliament who apparently wanted to stop him from moving forward with a vote, leading to the image of Yokoyama speaking into his microphone while dozens of politicians attempted to restrain him."
Load More Replies...The dog pile-like composition seems like an updated version of a Dutch Baroque work.
I actually have one of my grandfather's watches -- a gift from (and inscribed to him) by the the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (the the US equivalent to the Secretary of State). A cherished hand-me-down. 😊
Load More Replies...And, it's interesting that the only woman wears such a bright dress
She's the ringleader. Note her unruffled attitude.
Load More Replies...Don't know elsewhere but in italian parliament there are appointed clerks, wearing an elegant uniform and globed, that try to separate and/or protect politicians in such moments
Dublin Riots (2023)
Feels like Jesus is saying "move along... nothing to see here... move along..."
Well, Prince of Peace and all that.
Load More Replies...Delays
If you go to London, you'll find a lot of them. In the U.S. it's EXIT, in the U.K. it's WAY OUT.
Load More Replies...Giving Birth In Wartime (Finbarr O'reilly, Nyt)
I don't know. It looks like the birth has already been given.
I Tried A New Barber And Got Offered A Free Facemask. I Had No Idea What’s Going On
Well
I know what you mean but I think it's just a catch all term for a photo that looks like a painting. I don't know what else you'd call it
Load More Replies...I know what you mean but I think it's just a catch all term for a photo that looks like a painting. I don't know what else you'd call it
Load More Replies...
