50 Times Photos Of Pets Perfectly Embodied Renaissance Art

The Pet Renaissance subreddit has only been around since 2019, but it has a loyal following of 34k members. It is clearly a beloved page for people passionate about their pets and those who enjoy appreciating these beautiful works of art. To gain more insight into how the group was formed and is run, we reached out to the creator and one of the moderators, Openminded__skeptic on Reddit. She told us that the subreddit began as a companion to the original Accidental Renaissance subreddit, which we have also featured on Bored Panda before. “We were getting dozens of pet submissions daily and felt there was a place for a ‘Renaissance’ subreddit specifically for well composed photos of pets that resemble art,” Openminded_skeptic explained.

We also wanted to hear from the expert what qualifies as a "Renaissance pet photo". "The Renaissance aspect in this subreddit is fairly broad," she told Bored Panda. "But I would say that the pet(s) being the main focus of the photo is important, either centered or using the 'rule of thirds'. It should be a high-quality image that is in focus, and what really makes for the best photos is the lighting: a dark-ish room/background with a light that illuminates your animal's fur (or feathers, scales, etc. depending on the pet) is pretty common. But the light should be soft enough to highlight the pet without washing out the details or colors of the photo," Openminded_skeptic explained. "The fewer extra items in your photo, the better."

To provide a greater understanding of what photos are perfect for this subreddit, Openminded_skeptic gave me some examples of some of her favorite posts from the community. The first photo she provided was one that is certainly on this list: a photo of a cat reaching up onto a table and trying to steal cheese. She noted that it is her personal favorite, and I can certainly see why. The next example she provided is a photo captioned “Caravaggio esque dog”, which also perfectly embodies the vibe of the subreddit.  

Openminded_skeptic also noted that all pets are welcome in this subreddit, and linked this magnificent photo of a baby gerbil. The subject was only 17 days old when the photo was taken, but she certainly emanates that 17th century painting vibe. Another great photo showcasing animal diversity among the group is this one, featuring what appears to be an adorable white weasel.   

One photo Openminded_skeptic shared with Bored Panda that actually looks like a painting is this one, which has also made it onto this list, featuring two dogs behind a dirty glass door. The dogs look like they are perfectly posing an that someone has immortalized the moment through hours of painstaking painting. But some of the photos shared in the group literally look like famous paintings, such as this one of “Henry drying off from his walk” that looks eerily similar to a depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Carlo Dolci.

Openminded_skeptic also provided a couple of photos that look like they could easily have been Chiaroscuro paintings, such as this image of a cat enjoying some sunlight next to dark shadows and this photo of a black dog dramatically gazing upwards. And then there’s this cat that looks a little too much like Icarus flying dangerously close to the sun. Does art imitate life or life imitate art?

When asked why these photos are so captivating, Openminded_skeptic told Bored Panda, “People truly love their pets, and I think it's gratifying to be able to capture that indefinable quality about your pet that makes them special to you and be able to share it with others. Most pet owners sincerely believe that any photo of their pet is a work of art worthy of the Great Masters, and this subreddit is a way to share some of those photos that actually do resemble art!” She’s absolutely correct. Several years ago for Christmas, I commissioned an artist friend to create a painting of my mother’s dog to make the perfect Christmas gift. And while I already believed that every photo (and that painting) of my mother's dog is a masterpiece, I’m now inspired to start snapping Renaissance photos of her as well.