The Tate Gallery explains that classical or classic art are terms that became widespread in the 17th century and used to describe the arts and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. During the Renaissance and later on in the West, classicism in art often focuses on classical myths, legends, gods, and heroes.

Classical paintings and sculptures from the mid-18th and 19th centuries onwards are often referred to as Neoclassical works of art.

Some well-known classical artists include Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Gustav Klimt, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Rembrandt.

Among other notable names of the art world, you’ll also find Claude Monet, Johannes Vermeer, Francisco Goya, Jacques-Louis David, Frida Kahlo, and Eugène Delacroix.

The founder of the popular Facebook group, Paul A. Gusmorino III, told us that he originally created the group in the fall of 2021.

“I was enjoying funny classic art memes, but there wasn’t a well-moderated group at the time for folks who just wanted humor, and so I decided to create one to fulfill the need,” he told Bored Panda.

We asked Paul why the internet seems to enjoy classical art memes so much as a genre. "People enjoy them because they create an unexpected, humorous contrast between the perceived formality of classical art and modern jokes," the founder of the group said.

"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."

According to Paul, the very best memes don’t just entertain; they also give you a fresh new perspective on art. "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."

We also got in touch with Leslie, one of the moderators who helps manage the group created by Paul, the founder. Leslie, who has a lot of experience making memes, shared some practical tips and tricks to keep in mind for anyone who wants to create truly high-quality, appealing memes.

Firstly, she suggested that creators "find clear, beautiful, interesting, off-copyright art to use for memes." Next, the moderator urged meme makers to "use jokes or write funny, witty, relatable text that has no grammar errors that people want to share."

"Avoid objectionable content, words, and situations that are offensive to people," she said, adding that it's the proper thing to do to credit your sources. "Give attribution to the artist of the painting."

According to the moderator, making memes and looking at those created by others is a fun pastime.

“Memes can’t be copyrighted unless one has created the underlying art or writing, but they are being considered a collage or a combination, and that creates a new, original creation, and it is considered unethical within meme groups to copy them exactly,” she explained.

“With the rise of AI art, we still love the classical art look and love to give old art a new life and chance to be viewed and appreciated again by people, all while creating a fun or relatable meme.”

The high quality of the paintings and the detailed expressions of the characters in works of art make them wonderful templates for memes. Times might change. Technologies might advance. But, arguably, the human spirit—in all its splendor and darkness—never fundamentally shifts. The things that ailed people in the past are still relevant to this day, from our relationship to love and work to worries about our health and purpose in life.

No matter what kind of meme you’re crafting, there are a few main things to keep in mind. A good rule of thumb is to always consider what your audience wants. Memes, by definition, have to be relatable.

If they resonate with the audience, they’ll go viral. Humor isn’t necessary for this to happen, but it’s a definite bonus, and it gets internet users engaged with your content.

Meanwhile, you should aim to make your memes as easy to follow as possible. One side of this coin involves using high-resolution images that are easy to understand at a glance.

The other side is using easy-to-digest phrases written in a clear font instead of walls of text that most people won’t have the time or energy to get through. The snappier your jokes, the more your audience will vibe with them, and the easier your content will spread.

Currently, the ‘Classic Art Memes (Humor)’ project has 440.6k members from all over the globe. Originally, the group was created on Facebook nearly 3 years ago, in mid-September of 2021. To gather such a large audience so quickly, you definitely need a friendly community and a dedicated group of moderators and administrators to keep running things smoothly.

It’s not an easy thing to maintain a high level of quality with so much content to moderate. That's why it's so important to have a group of friendly, hard-working moderators whom you can trust and who love working with the content and interacting with the community.

Anyone hoping to become an active member of the group should take a couple of minutes to get familiar with the rules. It also helps if you look at the type of content others have shared before. Before you start posting and commenting willy-nilly, you need to get a feel for the atmosphere. For example, a huge part of being a good member is only posting memes related to classical art. Other types of posts or memes simply aren’t allowed.

Another important thing to keep in mind is to always try to focus on humor. In short, you ought to aim to be as entertaining to as many people as you can.

The moderators running the group point out that there really isn’t much room for something like political humor. All members of the community should strive to be as welcoming and kind as possible, as well as to give more than they take.

Quality is always preferable to quantity, even where comedy and social media are concerned. A few great posts will always be better than tons of mediocre or subpar ones.

You also want to give others some space for self-expression instead of dominating the discussion every single time. As such, the members of ‘Classic Art Memes (Humor)’ are gently encouraged to limit themselves to making up to 3 posts per day. That way, other meme-smiths will have the space to share their own comical concoctions.

Which of these classical art memes did you enjoy the most, Pandas? Which ones did you relate to the most? Why do you personally think classical art is such a good template for memes in the first place?

We’re always happy to hear what you have to say. So, if you have a moment or two, share your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to send the best memes to your art and humor-loving friends!