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How do you feel about classical art? Whether you take an annual trip to the Louvre or your idea of classical art is the paintings on the walls at your grandmother’s house, there’s no question that artists from hundreds of years ago were impressive. It is amazing how so many of their pieces stand the test of time and are still admired in museums around the globe by millions of visitors per year. But if you’re not a classical art fanatic, you might be wondering how any of these dusty, old paintings relate to you.

Allow me to introduce you to the Classical Damn Instagram page. This account has gained a loyal following for taking classical pieces of art and captioning them with hilarious modern takes. The page is full of memes that comment on anything from current social issues to the absurdity of their paintings, and we’ve gathered some of our favorite posts down below to share with you all. So enjoy this list that might make you feel like you’re visiting the coolest art gallery in the world, and be sure to upvote the pics you find the funniest. Keep reading to also find an interview with J.T. Lanci, creator of the Véronais Art Blog, and then if you’re interested in checking out even more classical art memes, you can find Bored Panda’s last article featuring Classical Damn right here.

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In a previous interview with Bored Panda, the creator of Classical Damn explained that the page was started in 2019 with the goal of combining two of their passions: art and memes. And they have certainly done a great job, as the page has amassed over 340k followers over the past few years. Although meme culture was certainly not around when these paintings were created, it’s great to see the fusion of modern and classical takes on them. Many of these pieces of artwork probably were just regular images meant to capture everyday life at the time they were made, so it’s only natural to comment on them with modern equivalents of everyday problems or relatable situations.

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The page might even inspire you to delve into the world of classical artwork. So we reached out to blogger and creator of the Véronais Art Blog, J.T. Lanci, to hear a little bit about how he got interested in classical art and what he loves most about it. “I spent a few years living in my grandfather’s home city of Lanciano, Italy. There I was exposed to classical art and learned a whole new vocabulary for talking about it,” he told Bored Panda. “What really made me fall in love with classical art is its universality. Classical art tells stories that speak to us as sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, spouses, and every other role life hands us as human beings. Classical art is for all of us, and it tells the stories that have defined us since the beginning of time.”

We also asked J.T. how relevant classical art is today. “Classical art is more relevant today than ever,” he said. “In the modern world we are bombarded with messages about who we are or who we are supposed to be, and classical art grounds us in our natural form. Moreover, the beauty of classical art has stood the test of time and inspires us to share our own inner beauty with the world.”

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Next, J.T. had some tips for anyone who is interested in learning about classical art but just does not know where to start. “I would encourage anyone that is interested in learning more about classical art to take an art appreciation course. These courses are often offered by local museums or online. There are also many wonderful art analysis videos available for free on YouTube,” he suggested. “Try searching for ‘art analysis of’ and check out some of the incredible videos that pop up. Of course, there are also great resources available on my blog, The Véronais Art Blog.”

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J.T. also wanted to make it clear that classical art is for all to enjoy. “Don’t let anyone turn you away from classical art with the impression that it is snobby or pretentious. The great artists that created these works are reaching down through the centuries to speak directly to our innermost selves. Those messages are intended for you, so don’t let some condescending dork in a turtleneck gatekeep with his fancy lingo and French pronunciations.”

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On his blog, J.T. explains how special it was that, even when it was first created, classical art could be appreciated by anyone and everyone. Art should not be a luxury or a privilege. “Classical art is therefore important because it is an expression of art directed at common people,” he writes. “While it is true that in many cases classical art was commissioned or endorsed by aristocrats and church officials, its messaging is downright proletarian in delivery. And despite the modern impression of classical art as a taste acquired by the upper-classes, it is only much later in art history that we find forms of expression that deliberately exclude the masses.”

If you’re interested in learning even more from J.T., you can check out the Véronais Art Blog right here.

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While memes and modern art might be more popular among people today than Rembrandt, classical art continues to draw crowds. Massive crowds, in fact, in the case of the Louvre. In 2018, the Louvre hit an all-time record of 10.2 million visitors throughout the entire year. This was not only a personal record, however, this was the most visitors any museum in the world has ever seen. Interestingly, the museum’s website credits a few factors for this rise in patrons: the recovery of tourism in France, the flagship exhibition “Delacroix (1798–1863).”, the Louvre Abu Dhabi (which had recently celebrated its first anniversary), and Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s “Apes**t” video with its tribute to some of the museum’s greatest artworks. Even the Louvre recognizes that there’s nothing wrong with combining modern and classical art, and it can actually increase modern viewers’ interest in classical pieces.

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It’s not surprising that people love seeing these pieces of art on Instagram with funny captions because people love seeing art in general. In fact, One study by professor Cees van Riel of the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University found that art museums actually have a better reputation than some of the world’s most highly respected brands like Rolex, Lego and Canon. The most admired museum worldwide turned out to be The Louvre, with the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam falling closely behind in second and third place out of the world’s top 18 art museums.

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In honor of classical art, let’s take a moment to appreciate one of the most famous pieces of art of all time: the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait of a woman painted onto a poplar wood panel, the Mona Lisa is renowned for the beautiful woman it features and the debate of whether or not she is smiling. The woman featured in the painting is believed to be Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy silk merchant named Francesco del Giocondo. One reason the Mona Lisa is so special is due to da Vinci’s use of the sfumato technique, which uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to show form and makes it clear that he understood how her skull was shaped.

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As any good piece of art should, the Mona Lisa has provoked some interesting responses from viewers over the years and endured it’s fair share of abuse. In 1911, it was stolen right off the wall by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian carpenter who was working at the Louvre at the time. He claimed that the painting should be in an Italian museum rather than a French one, but some speculate he intended to make copies of it to sell on the black market. Since then, the Mona Lisa has had acid, a rock and a terra cotta mug thrown at her, but thankfully, she is safe now. The museum finally learned to place her behind bulletproof glass several decades ago.

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We hope you are enjoying this fusion of modern commentary and classical artwork that we curated just for you. Keep upvoting all of the pieces you would want hanging in your home, and then let us know in the comments what your favorite piece of classic art is. We hope you’re feeling inspired to take a trip to a beautiful art museum now, even if it’s just to make funny comments to your friend about what each piece should be captioned. Art is art, and you are allowed to interpret it however you like. If you’d like to see even more of these hilarious memes after finishing this list, don’t forget to check out our last article on Classical Damn right here.