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.

When it comes to the success of this subreddit, Openminded_skeptic admits that it was a pleasant surprise. “I honestly didn't know that this subreddit would grow that much, but shortly after we launched it, we gained about 20,000 subscribers over one weekend,” she explained. “That sort of gave it a forward momentum that really hasn't slowed down. It's been great, and honestly surprising to have it grow to 33k; subreddits are notoriously difficult to grow.” And while the group has already grown at a very fast pace, I am sure that it will continue to gain momentum over time. I mean, adorable photos of pets and homages to Renaissance artwork. What’s not to love?

While it may sound silly at first to combine our beloved pets with Renaissance art, it was actually popular during the Renaissance to incorporate animals into artwork. According to Art Gallery UK, painters often depicted their subjects with their dogs, as they are symbols of loyalty, faithfulness, protection and love. One notable example is Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas painting, which features a large dog resting in the corner. Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait also features a small puppy in the middle of the painting, standing between its two human subjects. In both of these paintings, there is no real necessity for the dogs to be present. But they are adorable, and the painters felt including them was important. So even though they could not have Instagram accounts or subreddits celebrating their fur babies centuries ago, they still wanted them immortalized in paintings.       

According to History.com, Renaissance art “sought to capture the experience of the individual and the beauty and mystery of the natural world”, so it makes perfect sense to use this same style when photographing our beloved pets. But it has also become a trend to have actual paintings done or digital images created inserting adorable animals into famous Renaissance works of art. One site that provides this service is Crown & Paw, where pet parents can upload a photo of their beloved fur baby, choose a costume for them, and order a painting featuring their animal as an ambassador, general, princess, queen, count, aristocrat, king, etc. You can see some examples of their artwork right here.