Bored Panda reached out to Matthew Ponesse, Professor of History at Ohio Dominican University. According to his faculty profile, he earned his Bachelor's degree with majors in history and philosophy at the University of Toronto. Subsequently, he pursued graduate work at the University of Toronto's Centre for Medieval Studies, obtaining his M.A. and Ph.D. in the field of Medieval Studies.
In addition to his academic work, Ponesse is also the author of humorous content on his Instagram profile, 'Medievalist Matt.' This account is dedicated to sharing memes inspired by art, pop culture, and history. Hence, we wanted to discuss the role of classical art in creating relatable memes that reference images from distant times.
Eager to discover more about the inspiration behind Matthew’s work, we asked how his background in art influenced his approach to meme creation. The Professor of History shared with us: “My background as a medieval historian has most greatly influenced my approach to meme creation. Much of the art produced during the Middle Ages developed in a very specific historical context. When brought into the modern world, these images appear bizarre and outlandish. It's this disconnect between the medieval and modern world that I think people find humorous.”
Asked if there are any specific art movements or artists from the classical era that Ponesse particularly enjoys working with, he answered: “I particularly enjoy working with medieval marginalia, the illustrations often found in the borders of medieval manuscripts. While the text of most medieval manuscripts concerns serious topics, the margins are where artists and illustrators were allowed to experiment and create. Many people assume that life in the Middle Ages was serious and bleak, but medieval art reveals a world that was also bright, imaginative, and full of laughter.”
Lastly, we were wondering if the professor from Ohio encountered any unexpected responses related to the content shared on the Medievalist Matt profile. He shared that: “I'm most surprised at how many people relate to my memes. I'd describe my memes as very niche, and first thought that they'd only appeal to art historians and students of ancient and medieval history. But I'm often contacted by people who tell me that they share my memes with their colleagues in healthcare, business, and a variety of other professions. While many of these people remember their history classes as being dull and boring, they clearly have a fascination with the past and enjoy historical content.”
