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As much as we’d probably like to think we’re really different from humans of the past, a simple glance at the art people have produced hundreds of years ago would suggest that some problems are just universal. Where our forbearers used paint and canvas, the modern human uses meme templates, but many of the ideas remain.
The “Classical Cringe” Instagram page is dedicated to hilarious and relatable memes using classical art. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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#1
Probably Legal 7 months ago
I’m pretty sure that some words in the Bible are colored red so that conservatives know to ignore them.
Forrest Hobbs 7 months ago
People who are *real* Christian conservatives - you know, doing it the proper traditional way and all that - actually follow the teachings of Jesus. It's a shame that so many self-identified "Christian" so-called "conservatives" think that what Jesus preached counts as communist subversion. 😁✊
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Geoffrey Scott 7 months ago
Old testament on Ishmael: " He will also lead a great nation" ..not an unworthy nation, not a nation that is deemed heretical. My take is God was annoyed at Sarah, NOT Ishmael.
Dread Pirate Roberts 7 months ago
Am I a bad Christian for loving this meme? 😂 I feel like a lot of sanctimonious hypocrites who claim to be followers of Jesus but act just the opposite need to see this
Cuppa tea? 7 months ago
That was actually one of the miracles. Jesus asked: is you effing deaf? Nope. There, you are cured.
RELATED:
#2
#3
Forrest Hobbs 7 months ago
All comments are valid. But that's a Bible scene: Jael killing Sisera. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jael
Forrest Hobbs 7 months ago (edited)
Woof. So I got downvoted again. 😁- someone wants to cancel me - because, what? I provided information and a link to the biblical origin of the post in question? Whoever downvoted me, what is wrong with you? That's plainly an intentional depiction of Jael killing the enemy general Sisera - if you knew the bible, you'd be in no doubt. One translation of the full tale is here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%204&version=ISV
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Stephanie Fay 7 months ago
i HATE when random dudes say this! Please, for the love of god all you random dudes out there. Please, please stop saying this to random women on the street. Are we supposed to walk around with a smile on our faces for no reason like a crazy person?
Stephanie Fay 7 months ago
It's really not if you kept getting this ridiculous comment from strangers.
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There's something of dizzy delight to scrolling down your feed and landing on a Renaissance painting with a funny caption that perfectly captures precisely the way you felt when your Wi-Fi went out. Those moments when people get universal feeling or laughably modern moments buried deep in centuries-old paintings, catching a knowing smile from a Baroque nobleman or an amazed gasp from a Medieval saint, feel like discovering a secret handshake across the ages.
It’s as if the painter centuries ago knew exactly what we’d be thinking during a terrible 8-AM Zoom meeting. Part of the magic is recognizing that the human experience hasn’t really changed much. A detail that amused viewers in 1500, someone rolling their eyes at court gossip, can remind us of our own exasperation when somebody forwards us an endless chain email.
#4
Auntriarch 7 months ago
They've got one of these on display at Berrington House in Shropshire, and it's just as ridiculous as it looks here.
#5
MyNameIsNotAPortent 7 months ago
You had some of Elon’s cake so you’re probably tripping, but yeah that’s Mark
#6
When a Dutch Golden Age toddler pulls on an adult's sleeve, we see our own kids' constant asking for snacks and TV time. Pairing those instances with a contemporary idiom like "When your roommate eats the last slice of pizza" compresses 500 years of shared aggravation into one glance.
#7
Tabitha 7 months ago (edited)
Men, just STFU and LISTEN to women! Most of the time, we’re actually right. Sorry if that offends your fragile little egos, too bad. Just get TF over yourselves and listen. Maybe you’ll learn something for once. BTW, yelling over us when we’re trying to talk doesn’t mean you’re in the right. It just means you’re a loud a*****e.
#8
Michael Largey 7 months ago
"Kind of what?" is what you should always ask. "Kind of testy and disagreeable? You're on!"
Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 7 months ago
It costs me my Zen, my Patience, My Sanity, My Blood Pressure Medication, My Muscle Relaxers, etc. It sometimes costs me a whole lot to be kind.
#9
It's especially satisfying when we get a genuine emotional nuance: a raised, contemptuous eyebrow that says nothing at all, an open-eyed, unadorned look of pure fear before battle, or that slouching give-up look that screams "I give up." Works by artists like Caravaggio or Goya are full of raw emotion. When one posts Goya's "The Third of May 1808" with a caption of "That feeling when you know it's Monday tomorrow," it works because the painting so perfectly captures fear and inevitability. History is no longer dusty, it's laughably relatable.
#10
#11
Peter Bear 7 months ago
When you get right down to it, Catholicism is both pro-cannibalism and pro-vampirism.
Helen Davies 7 months ago (edited)
For some reason this has caused me to choke and giggle uncontrollably!
#12
keyboardtek 7 months ago
That may be sooner than we think the way we are going.
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Tabitha 7 months ago
Unfortunately they do, but only as a food source for the next level up the food chain. D**n.
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Indeed, the process sometimes involves a bit of cheeky editing, cropping a small group of figures from a huge fresco or zooming in on the goofy grin of a jester. A single face pulled from an elaborate scene can become an instant meme template. Take a man in a 17th-century feast who looks halfway intrigued and halfway horrified: edit in the caption “When you’re eating chips and your friend opens up about their existential crisis,” and watch the likes pile up.
#13
Khavrinen 7 months ago
And keep in mind, these were painted by artists the king is paying to make them look good...
#14
#15
We’re not just laughing at the art; we’re laughing at ourselves, our awkwardness, and the absurdity of daily life. This trend also creates unexpected moments of art history appreciation. Someone might tweet a cropped detail of Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” with a caption about “checking your reflection before a video call,” and suddenly thousands of people ask, “What’s that painting from?"
#16
keyboardtek 7 months ago
The COVID swab was in the nose as I recall. This might be a DNA test.
Richienotsorich 7 months ago
You don't recall very well. Every one I had was at the back of my throat and made me gag!
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#18
Tele Avision 7 months ago
F**k, we all know the word is f**k. Just spell it out or use another word for f***s sake!
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Catlady6000 7 months ago
It is the kind of thing an older sister would say
Load More Replies...Next thing you know, individuals are bookmarking Wikipedia articles, learning the deeper symbolism of the artist, and figuring out that paintings from the 1400s continue to resonate with them. A dash of humor can lead one to actual curiosity. Ultimately, uncovering these "memeable" moments in old art reminds one that no one owns the market on awkwardness, fear, or scandal." The same wide-eyed awe or wearied resignation painted in oil and tempera resonates in our emoji-marked, trending-hashtag world.
#19
QuincyForrest 7 months ago
This is what the GOP envisions when they say Make America Great Again. This is their idea of progress.
Jeolas1 7 months ago
No! Trials by combat were not a means to settle domestic disputes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_by_combat
#20
N.C. O'Brien 7 months ago
I turned off automatic updates and whenever I see an update pending I check if there is a queue of people outside computer repair shops before I let it (learnt the hard way -costing €160 to fix as it wouldn’t even turn on)
#21
Khavrinen 7 months ago
"Money can be exchanged for goods and services." -- Homer Simpson's brain, being helpful for once.
Der Kommissar 7 months ago
Kid; Dad, I need $40 to go to the mall. Dad; $30? what do you need $20 for?
By rendering a scandalized look on a Baroque princess as "me when my boss books a 7 AM meeting," we pay homage to the agelessness of human feeling, even if we're here to mock our caffeine droughts. So the next time you look at a Victorian portrait overlaid with "When someone asks if you've tried turning it off and on again," take a moment to realize that you're involved in a centuries-old conversation.
#22
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#24
People dressed in fancy robes and fancy wigs might not have had smartphones, but they knew precisely how it felt to have to suffer through disappointment, judgment, and that waking-up-early-on-Monday horror. In those split seconds of recognition, you’re not just amused, you’re connected to a shared human tapestry that stretches back through every brushstroke, centuries before the first meme ever went viral.
#25
Cuppa tea? 7 months ago
Go and Google "statue of Jobst of Moravia in Brno". That was made just few years ago.
RedMarbles 7 months ago
I kind of like it! But lol on that view from underneath. 😅
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#26
Nikki Sevven 7 months ago
Well, Satan didn't gatekeep the tree of knowledge, so I feel like he'd bring me more books.
Michael Largey 7 months ago (edited)
They both wear red, come into your house uninvited, and keep track of who's being naughty and nice. Oh, and they both have things done by humans attributed to them.
Ellinor 7 months ago
Oh, there was a recent movie made with that scenario, with Jack Black in it !! It was called "Dear Santa"
Ace 7 months ago
There are many European traditions based on the idea of bad santa or equivalent, including the krampus shown here. In Switzerland they have a Sami Klaus who gives lumps of coal to naughty children, pr does he carry them off in his sack? I don't recall the details.
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#27
#28
Beautiful 7 months ago
i get that it’s a joke, but please don’t feel the need to diet unless it’s for health. you are beautiful inside and out 💕
Ace 7 months ago
I get that you're trying to be 'body-positive', but please don't discourage people from wanting to be a healthy weight _before_ they develop health problems as a result. And please don't degrade the word 'beautiful' by suggesting that it applies equally to everyone regardless of looks and size. It does not.
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#29
#30
mria alternativa 7 months ago
Fleek was in vogue on Tumblr years ago, surely people don't use it anymore?!
#31
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#34
#35
Michael Largey 7 months ago
If the airplane starts shaking violently, don't seek out God. Seek out a parachute.
Peter Bear 7 months ago
My deity of choice for emergency prayer is The Flying Spaghetti Monster. May we all be tangled safely in the shelter of His noodly appendages, ra'amen.
Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 7 months ago
I just start wishing that TSA would have let my parachute as a carry on, instead of having to check baggage it.
keyboardtek 7 months ago
From what I have heard most people exclaim in times of imminent danger was not "Oh God" but "Oh S**t!" Is "s**t" a more common deity?
Auntriarch 7 months ago
Apparently it's the most common last words on the black box recorder
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#36
Robert Millar 7 months ago
Cucumbers are two for one today... Oh go on Clara, we can eat the other one.
Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 7 months ago
Well... right now, I think the risk of Salmonella, might have put that recreational activity on hold.
#37
Black Cats and Corgis 7 months ago (edited)
Me, at my spine doctor. . . . He never believes me anyway. Then gets mad when I get someone else to order the tests I need.
Panda Cat 7 months ago
Yeah, surgery sparing treatment that wasted years of my life when surgery fixed it all.
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Catie D 7 months ago
I believe this was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which kicked off WWI....
HistoryNerd 7 months ago
Yup, thanks to the driver making a wrong turn and the assassin getting a sandwich
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Niki 7 months ago
Me ignoring my kids in the backseat because I don't want to turn this car around.
Tabitha 7 months ago (edited)
I come from a family of four boys and one girl (me, who was also the baby of the family). My parents did not ignore our behavior, in the car or anywhere, but immediately addressed it as the situation warranted. I have very clear memories of my father driving with one hand, while his other arm was busy swatting us kids in the backseat when we acted up. I also remember that my mother spent most of every car ride facing the backseat to try to keep us in line, even though she was in the front passenger seat and should’ve been facing forward. I also remember we were strictly not to get out of our seats in restaurants, at the movies, in waiting rooms, or anywhere. Out shopping, we were to stick close to our parents, regardless of the shiny things on the store shelves. When you have five kids, you must teach them how to act or resign yourself to living in uncontrollable chaos. Now, I do not mean be an authoritarian and start beating your kids, ffs. No f*****g way. Be authoritative instead. Be fair nd equitable, and make punishments reasonable and fit to the crime. The goal is for your kids to want to listen and behave because they don’t have any reason to lash out, lie, keep secrets, defy you. If you’re reasonable with them, the majority of the time most kids will be reasonable with you (I say most, because there are always exceptions). Personally, I prefer peace and happy coexistence in my home, and could never live in 24/7/265 upheaval and destruction like a frigging war zone.
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Dread Pirate Roberts 7 months ago
I would really loved to know what's actually being depicted here 😂
Chewie Baron 7 months ago
Every Tuesday. Except I’m looking in the mirror during the argument. And the mythical creature doesn’t turn up. So annoying.
#40
#41
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#43
Agent Smith 7 months ago
Except when you are delighted with the freedom of 'don't give a rat's a**e' now.
#44
Auntriarch 7 months ago
Nope, not a problem. All my friends have books that I haven't read yet.
Quinn 7 months ago
I wish I could give more upvotes for this brilliant reply.
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krunchifrog 7 months ago
Oh yeah. I’ve been there. One time I had to wait HOURS for them to wake up because the door was locked and I had no idea where the key was! (Australia and some doors need a key to unlock them from both sides!)
#46
#47
Ugh, do I have to? 7 months ago
so the third lady clearly was salty since she got more sleep than them.
#49
BrunoVI 7 months ago
Marx wasn't wrong identifying greed as a root of evil; he was just an idiot when he supposed that by entrusting all freedom and wealth to a band of revolutionaries we'd somehow solve the problem.
Peter Bear 7 months ago
Communism is a brilliant political theory, but has one glaring flaw; it doesn't account for corruption. One corrupt individual brings down the entire thing, and power always corrupts. Thus, it's a theory that cannot and will not ever work in practice.
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 7 months ago
My loneliness is the only thing keeping me sane. A little bit of time when I can go home, close the shutters, shut the curtains, make tea, and the outside world ceases to exist.
#50
#52
Lowrider 56 7 months ago
Yep! Average height of a man back then was about 5'3"-5'5". Not that I believe in the Bible, but some scholars say that Goliath was not a true giant, but was probably a little over 6'. That would've been seen as a giant
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#54
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#70
Michael Largey 7 months ago
"Everything I like is either illegal, immoral, or fattening." - Alexander Wolcott
#74
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#76
Whatshername 7 months ago
How do we teach our children to be careful online with this rise of fakeism, without making them paranoid? Wait, let me ask ChatGPT.
#77
Robert Millar 7 months ago
So the father had 15 melons and the son had 12... Is that realistic?
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The Doom Song 7 months ago
I love these! This is the stuff we want BP! Please stop the "celebrity" c**p please
Leslie Gintz 7 months ago
Why is Bored Panda still stamping their brand on others’ creation? Just stop, leave the makers names on and stop taking credit or start paying the makers.
The Doom Song 7 months ago
I love these! This is the stuff we want BP! Please stop the "celebrity" c**p please
Leslie Gintz 7 months ago
Why is Bored Panda still stamping their brand on others’ creation? Just stop, leave the makers names on and stop taking credit or start paying the makers.
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