30 Relatable Memes That Combine Classical Art With Situations From Modern Life

Classical artand humor pair up incredibly well. They’re such a powerful combination, and the internet has been in love with it for years. And not just professional artists and art historians, mind you!Digital creatorVarkey(@_varkey) runs a very popular Instagram account where he features some of the wittiest, funniest, and most relatablememesthat use classical art as a template. We’ve collected some of the very best, amusing, and sarcastic ones to share with you. Scroll down to take a look, and remember to upvote your favorite ones!Bored Pandagot in touch with Varkey, the curator of the popular account and the artist behind these memes, and he was kind enough to share a few thoughts with us. Scroll down for our interview with him.This post may includeaffiliate links.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

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We were curious to get Varkey’s opinion on why so many internet users from all corners of social media enjoy the mix of classical art and memes. He noted that there’s a lot that resonates with them.“I think people enjoy them so much because of the humor and the aesthetic appeal of the painting,” he told Bored Panda that it’s a powerful combination.Meanwhile, with so many talented content creators posting their classical art memes on social media, we were interested in what advice Varkey would give everyone to help their content stand out from the crowd.

“I think people enjoy them so much because of the humor and the aesthetic appeal of the painting,” he told Bored Panda that it’s a powerful combination.

Meanwhile, with so many talented content creators posting their classical art memes on social media, we were interested in what advice Varkey would give everyone to help their content stand out from the crowd.

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From the creator’s perspective, visual clarity is absolutely essential. “I personally prefer to only post where the paintings are aesthetic,” he says that he chooses the template very carefully.“And I use the same font so that my posts stand out,” he said.The creator also shared that there are a lot of artists that he respects. He revealed that some of his favorites include Carl Bloch, Vida Gábor, Peter Baumgartner, Carl Spitzweg, and others.Varkey, who is widely known on Instagram, blends insights from contemporary life with classical paintings on his account. At the time of writing, his project has 104k dedicated fans from all over the world.

“And I use the same font so that my posts stand out,” he said.

The creator also shared that there are a lot of artists that he respects. He revealed that some of his favorites include Carl Bloch, Vida Gábor, Peter Baumgartner, Carl Spitzweg, and others.

Varkey, who is widely known on Instagram, blends insights from contemporary life with classical paintings on his account. At the time of writing, his project has 104k dedicated fans from all over the world.

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Some of the most well-known classical artists include geniuses like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Gustav Klimt, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Rembrandt. Others that you’ve likely heard of include Claude Monet, Johannes Vermeer, Francisco Goya, Jacques-Louis David, Frida Kahlo, and Eugène Delacroix.

The very terms classical or classic art first started becomingwidespreadin the 17th century. In the West, during the Renaissance and later periods, classicism in art mainly focuses on classical myths and legends, as well as gods and heroes. From the mid-18th and 19th centuries, theaestheticis referred to as Neoclassical.

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There’s also the fact that these memes are so incredibly relatable to consider. Any good meme, no matter the type, needs to be relatable at least on some level. That’s how you connect your thoughts (as a digital creator) with those of your audience (anyone browsing social media).

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During a previous interview with Bored Panda, Varkeyshareda bit about himself and his relationship with art.

He shared that he’s a safety engineer with a passion for classical art, history, and geography. “I don’t have any background as a creator or artist but I have always loved classical art,” he said.

“Whenever I see a painting, I try to imagine how the painting would look if it was painted in the 21st century. I also try to correlate it with pop culture,” Varkey told Bored Panda.

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One of Varkey’s biggest inspirations is creator, artist, anddesigner Mehmet Geren. “I love all his works,” he said.“It is difficult to develop a unique and distinct style nowadays but I guess it doesn’t matter because there is an audience for all of us. I don’t think about it much because I do it mainly for my satisfaction, whenever I create something I feel content, and yes, whenever people appreciate what I do, it makes me want to keep doing it. If there is a market, I would like to sell my works as merchandise or prints in the future,” Varkey said.

One of Varkey’s biggest inspirations is creator, artist, anddesigner Mehmet Geren. “I love all his works,” he said.

“It is difficult to develop a unique and distinct style nowadays but I guess it doesn’t matter because there is an audience for all of us. I don’t think about it much because I do it mainly for my satisfaction, whenever I create something I feel content, and yes, whenever people appreciate what I do, it makes me want to keep doing it. If there is a market, I would like to sell my works as merchandise or prints in the future,” Varkey said.

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As we’ve mentioned before, the classical art meme genre is incredibly well-known on the internet. There are numerous social media accounts, groups, and projects dedicated entirely to creating and (re)sharing this sort of content. Recently, the founder of the ‘Classic Art Memes (Humor)’ Facebook group told Bored Panda thatpeople enjoythis sort of content because they create “an unexpected, humorous contrast between the perceived formality of classical art and modern jokes.”He added: “These works are detached from specifics of our modern world and modern situations in a way that lets people poke fun at the timeless aspects of the human condition.“From his perspective, the very best memes are educational, not just entertaining. “They make you view a piece of art in a new way, noticing something about who or what is portrayed in the work or about the artist themselves that you may have missed otherwise.”

He added: “These works are detached from specifics of our modern world and modern situations in a way that lets people poke fun at the timeless aspects of the human condition.”

From his perspective, the very best memes are educational, not just entertaining. “They make you view a piece of art in a new way, noticing something about who or what is portrayed in the work or about the artist themselves that you may have missed otherwise.”

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Meanwhile, a moderator who helps run the ‘Classic Art Memes (Humor)’ project had some practical tips to share with all digital creators out there. She urged them to look for clear, beautiful, interesting, and off-copyright art to use as the basis for the memes.She added that it’s important that the witty and relatable text that you add has no grammar errors, and that the artists are credited properly.

She added that it’s important that the witty and relatable text that you add has no grammar errors, and that the artists are credited properly.

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