When we think of memes, we rarely associate them with something sophisticated or intellectual. Yet, such a genre exists: classical art memes. Well, they may not be particularly academic or require you to have a degree in Fine Arts; they’re more of a bridge between the snobbish art world and the Internet spaces brimming with irony.
One Instagram page does classical art memes exceptionally well, pairing them with witty modern-day captions. The visual part of the memes is the acclaimed works from the masters of art, and the captions are about things that matter to our generation: Tinder, naps, and how many cats are actually too many cats.
The classical art memes account we’re covering here has been going strong on Instagram since 2018. Today, it has over 300k ardent followers who like their humor, in the words of the great bard Harry Styles, mixed with a bit of intellect. The goal of the creator is simple: “I put modern day captions on classical paintings to make you laugh,” the page’s bio reads.
Back in 2022, when we covered the Instagram page for the first time, the creator told Bored Panda that art history was their hobby for quite some time before they decided to start this page. “I always used to come across these paintings that looked like they were exactly made for a meme,” the creator told us back then.
The creator of the page told us in a previous interview that they believe the key to the success of this page is its relatability. The captions are all about relationship problems, reflections on today’s politics and religion, and, of course, some meta Internet stuff. “Even though the paintings are hundreds of years old, their expressions and captions make it seem they are one of us,” the creator said.
Some say that pages like these make classical art more accessible to younger generations: making it funny, easier to understand, and more relatable. The creator of the meme page believes that tech in general helps make art and art history more accessible. “More and more people have started appreciating art after seeing them on their feeds and then trying to learn more about their backgrounds. Technology has made its interpretation and access inclusive.”
