Combining classical art with memes might sound like committing a heinous crime when you first hear about it. How can we desecrate these masterpieces by adding captions about modern day dating or the struggles of finding a perfectly ripe avocado?
But the truth is that art imitates life, and these pieces were meant to relate to audiences. So why not make them even more relatable by adding some contemporary context? The Classical Sarcasm group has been around since 2021, and it has gained massive popularity by doing just that. The community has amassed an impressive 810K members, and it continues to grow rapidly, as over 1,600 members have joined in the last week.
It’s easy to assume at first glance that a group like this is disrespecting artists of the past. But I would bet that many of the members are huge fans of classical art. And they’re actually helping it become more popular amongst young audiences by sharing their hilarious memes.
According to Francesca Testa at Cartellino, these funny captions don’t actually devalue art. In fact, they might be the perfect way to get people to actually care about classical art.
“Classical art memes offered a gateway to learning more about art history, understanding the artists' logic, and the meaning behind each painting,” she writes. “After much exposure to these memes, I felt compelled to find the answer to the question, ‘Why are they like these anyway?’ After so much research and attempting to understand art history, it's safe to say that what these memes brought is no depreciation.”
“Medieval and renaissance art is indeed considered priceless today but just because they've been used as tools in injecting humor to the tragic every-day lives of angsty millennials or trivial adventures of a young individual doesn't mean they devalue the art pieces used,” Testa continued. “They simply start a conversation that transcends time.”
Even if you begin your journey into the world of classical art memes as simply a meme lover who knows nothing about art, you’re bound to learn something after researching different canvases to use for your clever captions. You might discover that you love a certain painter or have an affinity for a certain style of art that you had never even noticed before.
Some people have even taken meme-ing famous paintings to the next level by actually editing the images to fit the exact message they want to convey. For example, Isobel Huisman and Carolina Castro at Diggit Magazine shared the example of “Monday Lisa,” which is the Mona Lisa edited to have messy hair, similar to bedhead. You probably never viewed Mona Lisa as relatable before, but this meme makes her seem like a regular person who deals with the same small annoyances as the rest of us!
It’s not necessary to be an expert in Photoshop to create clever art memes, though. If you simply see an image that provokes a distinct feeling in you, all you need to do is use a simple editing tool or website to turn it into a brilliant meme. Even though the setting and the outfits worn in these classical paintings may seem foreign, the facial expressions depicted and emotions present reflect human nature. Therefore, they’ll always be relatable; we just have to find the perfect way to present them to new audiences.
