Art History Memes For Masters of Realism

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Sep 28, 2022 12:30 PM EDT

If you think about it, paintings were the original memes. Past painters made realistic depictions of people with all sorts of intentions in mind. Portraits, depictions of rural life, images from literature: whatever they meant to people in the 1800s doesn't matter that much. Now, they are prime fodder for memes.

The expressions made by people in paintings are objectively funny. Their exaggerated or intentionally demure vibes make them the perfect subject for relatable memes. Even though I'm not a 17th-century noblewoman, I relate to the one I see on the canvas before me. Her worries, frustrations, and goals are all somehow relatable to Gen Z internet-poisoned trash like me.

Even if you don't care much about art, you can enjoy it through its undeniable meme potential. Ascribing funny text to images of dead portrait models is our God-given right, and you don't need an Art History degree to do it.