Bored Panda has published a few pieces covering ‘Accidental Renaissance’ photos. In one of our articles in late 2023, we spoke with art historian Sally Hickson to learn more about what Renaissance art really is. 

“The widespread use of single-point perspective is a key to recognizing early Renaissance works. You know, tiny figures contained within a perfectly proportional world, usually including architectural settings that help to set the scale.”

Doing a quick search on the traits of Renaissance art will lead you to a laundry list of differing results. But according to Hickson, “it’s all about creating a perfect image of the world.”

“Along with the usual altarpieces and depictions of saints, there’s an interest in mythological scenes — the reimagining of the ancient world.”

Hickson delved further into the defining characteristics of Renaissance art, which she also says is about balance and perfection. 

“The Renaissance is not just one thing in terms of visual language. It’s about an evolution of visual language centered on the full range of human experience.”

Let’s shift our attention to cats, our main subjects for this piece. According to research, our natural liking for felines dates back to nearly 10,000 years ago. Here’s an explanation from paleo-geneticist Dr. Eva-Maria Geigl:

“[Cats] approached human settlements because there was food — concentrated rodents thriving on grain accumulations,” Dr. Geigl told Medical News Today.  “Humans had a real interest in having cats around. They were just happy with the cats feasting on the rodents that destroyed their cereals.”

In a separate interview, Washington State University professor Dr. Patricia Pendry shared her theory about why many people love cats so much. 

“The subtle and somewhat unpredictable responses cats give us, give us the perception that we are chosen — or perceived as ‘special’ when a response from a cat does occur,” she explained. 

“Because the response tends to take a little bit more time to emerge, we are captivated by a desire to know what the cat will do.”

Unlike dogs, cats have a mysterious vibe to them. And according to Dr. Pendry, that incalculable nature adds to their allure. 

“Because the nature and timing of their actions are less predictable, we may remain captivated, almost in an addictive kind of way — you can’t rip yourself away because that purr, that special rub may be just around the corner.”

In 2014, Adweek data revealed cat photos were more popular than selfies in the UK. British people shared over 3.8 million feline photos at the time compared to just 1.4 million selfies. There were also more than 350,000 social media accounts dedicated to cats. 

Digital media executive Daniel Fisher helped with the research. In an interview with Metro, he gave his take on the online cat craze.  

Fisher says the photos that drew the most attention showed cats being more like people, just like many on this list. 

“The most popular internet cats display human characteristics, mirroring our everyday habits. The Internet cat Hall of Fame features grumpy, affectionate, keyboard playing, surprised, talking and angry cats,” Fisher explained. 

Fisher did point out one key observation: humor trumps cuteness when it comes to cat photos online. 

“The vast majority of cat videos online are cute,” he said. “But the superstars are the ones who are hilarious, make us smile, and want to share with our friends and followers.”