50 Classical Art Memes That Prove The Struggle Has Been Real Through All Eras Of Time (New Pics)

The Trippin Through Time subreddit’s tagline is, “How did I get here?” and the photos on this list certainly may have you asking yourself that question. But as the community’s about section explains, there is actually a law in historic art pieces depicting multiple humans that at least one of the subjects will look like they have no clue how or why they got there. “It's like Where's Waldo, except instead of looking for Waldo you're looking for the dude that looks like he just dropped acid,” the group’s moderators write. Keep that in mind while scrolling through this list…

The Trippin Through Time subreddit has a very simple mission, sharing hilarious edited photos of historical art pieces, and it been extremely successful in achieving its goal. The group has amassed 4.8 million members since its creation a decade ago, and we’ve covered the group on Bored Panda several times because we just can’t get enough of these hilarious pics. So whether you’re an art history fanatic or simply a connoisseur of memes, we hope you find something that speaks to you on this list. 

If you’re an art purist, you might not be impressed by some of these hilarious edits. But before you deem them disrespectful or even harmful to the field of art, remember that even making memes out of these pieces of artwork is a way to celebrate them. These paintings, which may have otherwise never been seen by many modern audiences, can now be appreciated for bringing a bit of joy into our lives. The creators of these captions had to find and analyze these pictures, and now they have the chance to share them with others who can bond over being entertained by them as well.

Many art lovers would even argue that any exposure to art from hundreds of years ago is better than simply forgetting about it and failing to care about it. According to the University of the People, there are still plenty of reasons why studying art history is relevant today. The first of which being that every piece has a story. It’s fascinating to learn about an artist and what inspired them to create any particular piece of artwork, and it can be great fun to do your own personal detective work when trying to decipher the meaning behind a piece.    

Studying art history can also help strengthen your visual analysis, written communication and critical thinking skills. If you’re never stared into a canvas for 10 minutes at an art museum, you might want to try it sometime! You may be surprised by what you notice when paying close attention to detail, and you may become even more curious about the artist and their intentions as well. Don’t forget to read those small placards next to each piece as well. Understanding more about art and the people behind the pieces can be useful in teaching yourself more about our world as a whole.