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30 Hilarious Classical Art Memes That Prove Hardly Anything Has Changed Throughout The Years
Blending 'high' and popular cultures makes sophisticated ideas more accessible and enjoyable for a wider audience, which is why the Facebook page 'Classical Art Memes' has over 5.2 million followers.
As the name suggests, it uses old masterpieces as templates for modern humor, creatively pointing out that some struggles may have been real for quite some time now.
So if you find traditional galleries too formal, try this one you can access through your screen. The best part is that there's no admission fee.
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The list of people who enjoy this genre is long and distinguished. Matt Dinan, a Great Books professor at St. Thomas University, also belongs to it.
"I'm an avid viewer of classical art memes," Dinan says.
Dinan agrees that these pictures are more than simple jokes.
"One of the things I think is so ingenious about classical art memes is that they take these images that are heavily contextual — like, you knew from the context that this is Adam and Eve, or this is Virgin Mary and Jesus — they take all the context away, and that in itself is funny," Dinan explains.
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Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
I once tried to meaow to my cat. I don't what I said, but he looked profoundly insulted.
Dinan loves that "we're taking something ... very specific in another culture, and taking something that is specific in [our] culture and putting it on top of it" because this way, you don't need to be an expert on art history to get in on the fun.
"I suspect people find them funny even when they don't get the references. People have a general sense that if it looks like classical art of any kind, of any period, and it has this kind of humor on it, then it's kind of funny."
"Then there's another sense that this is art done by liberal arts geeks, for liberal arts geeks. They're in-jokes. It's easier than it was in the past to become liberally educated in such a way that you can get these jokes."
Dinan believes these memes really do bring older art into a new light.
"I'd see this ... as ... participating in an ongoing democratization of the artistic world."
Some of these memes might look edgy, but you need to be bold if you want to challenge conventional thinking or even spark meaningful conversation.
Dinan says that in the end, there's nothing you can really do if someone wants to be offended by a meme, like the one of Van Gogh looking like he's just seen the phattest booty in his entire life.
“Someone will always look at an excuse to be offended in everything," Dinan adds.
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Will Cable 1 year ago
And it came through the hole showing the glory of the light, I shall call it a Glory Hole.....erm excuse me but....
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Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
Quite accurate subtitles, since the painting is depicting an execution by firing squad.
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Moosy Girl 1 year ago
How low as people do we dare to stoop, making young broccolis bleed in the soup? ;)
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Jasmijn 1 year ago
This isn’t AI as some people are suggesting due to the awkward-looking fingers. It’s Mary Magdalene from the Isenheim Altarpiece painted by Matthias Grünewald. If you look at Grünewald’s body of work, you’ll see he was t great at painting hands. In his defence, hands are hard to draw/paint.
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oblong mongoose (they/them) 1 year ago
i called my second grade teacher "grandma" when i was little
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Prince of Darkness 1 year ago
Bored Panda: Morality Nazi. Because extreme violence is normal and acceptable, but you're far too fragile to see the words "sIut" or "suịcịde" or a fucƙing nipple in a painting.
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Jan Castle 1 year ago
Oh, the irony of censoring a barely visible nipples in this kind of joke 🤣
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LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
Ruined by BoredPanda's idiotic censorship. You think it's alright to censor great works of art, BoredPanda? Is the female body that sinful that you need to censor painted breasts? God, this site is a cesspool.
Be_ Heard 1 year ago
I watched a show on netflix or somewhere and it was rated tv-ma and one of the ressons listed was nudity. I was watching it... no nudity. The only thing that was even closer was sn at gallery that had paintings of women with no shirts on... i was soooo annoyed
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LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
That would entail BoredPanda doing actual work.
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LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
Ruined by BoredPanda's idiotic censorship. You think it's alright to censor great works of art, BoredPanda? Is the female body that sinful that you need to censor painted breasts? God, this site is a cesspool.
Be_ Heard 1 year ago
I watched a show on netflix or somewhere and it was rated tv-ma and one of the ressons listed was nudity. I was watching it... no nudity. The only thing that was even closer was sn at gallery that had paintings of women with no shirts on... i was soooo annoyed
Load More Replies... LokisLilButterknife 1 year ago
That would entail BoredPanda doing actual work.
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