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Art history can be an incredibly complicated topic and a really tough nut to crack for anyone who hasn’t spent years upon years learning the various intricacies and subtleties needed to master the subject.
Luckily for all art lovers who just haven’t got the time to understand all the ins and outs of art history, the internet has provided some hilarious and easy-to-grasp tips on how to recognize the work of famous painters. Here is a list of the funniest and most accurate advice, so that you can impress your friends and family the next time you go to a museum or want to talk about something impressive at the dinner table. Scroll down, upvote your favorites, and leave us a comment with your views about art, classical paintings and what you thought of these tips.
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#1
If Everyone – Including The Women – Looks Like Putin, Then It’s Van Eyck
Jan van Eyck
#2
If It’s Something You Saw On Your Acid Trip Last Night, It’s Dali
Salvador Dalí
#3
If Everyone Looks Like Hobos Illuminated Only By A Dim Streetlamp, It’s Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
The person behind most of the art tips is Redditor DontTacoBoutIt. Unfortunately, their account now appears to be dead, but Bored Panda tried reaching out to them for an interview nonetheless. The tips have seen widespread success online, with over 8,800 upvotes and more than 1.17 million views on Imgur.
The Redditor’s explanations about how well-known artists can be recognized at a single glance are as informative as they are blunt and funny. For example, you can know almost for sure that a painting was done by Peter Paul Rubens if everyone’s naked and they all have very large derrières (‘butts’, the word means ‘butts’). And if everyone in a painting looks a bit like Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin, then you can bet your hat that it’s probably Jan van Eyck’s work.
#4
If The Paintings Have Lots Of Little People In Them But Also Have A Ton Of Crazy Bulls#%t, It’s Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch
#5
If Everybody Has Some Sort Of Body Malfunction, Then It’s Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso
#6
Lord Of The Rings Landscapes With Weird Blue Mist And The Same Wavy-Haired Aristocratic-Nose Madonna, It’s Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
So you can show off to your pals even more at your next soirée, here are some more facts to drop about Rubens and van Eyck (besides talking about butts and Putin of course).
A Flemish painter born sometime around 1380-1390, van Eyck is known as one of the early innovators of Early Netherlandish painting and one of the most important representatives of what’s known as Early Northern Renaissance art. As a master painter, he was employed by John III the Pitiless, the ruler of Holland and Hainaut, as well as Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy. Van Eyck wasn’t just a painter, he also acted as a diplomat for Philip.
#8
Dappled Light And Unhappy Party-Time People, Then It’s Manet
Édouard Manet
#9
If Everyone Is Beautiful, Naked, And Stacked, It’s Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
Kaisu 5 years ago
I don't know why my comment was down voted? I'm a queer woman myself, queer is a perfectly normal academic word to use (there's queer studies, queer literature studies, queer film studies). Queer is simply an umbrella term like the LGBT, only queer encompasses only sexualities while LGBT encompasses gender identities as well. I'm a queer woman and I'm attracted to women. Michelangelo was a queer man and he was attracted to men. The reason I don't use the word homosexual is because he never specified his sexuality and I don't feel comfortable assigning a specific sexuality for someone unless they have specified it themselves. Hopefully this clears it up for some of you 😊
Meanwhile, Rubens (who was also a Flemish painter) was born in 1577 and is thought to be the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens was a specialist in making portraits, landscapes, altarpieces, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. Rubens was also a scholar and a diplomat who was knighted by Philip IV of Spain and Charles I of England.
#10
Dappled Light And Happy Party-Time People, It’s Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
#12
If The Images Have A Dark Background And Everyone Has Tortured Expressions On Their Faces, It’s Titian
Tiziano Vecelli
#13
Excel Sheet With Coloured Squares, It’s Mondrian
Piet Mondrian
Greg Hoggarth 5 years ago
Imagine being able to come up with something so simple to execute as this and convincing everyone it is great art worth lots of money.
#14
If The Paintings Have Tons Of Little People In Them But Otherwise Seem Normal, It’s Bruegel
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Jenn Unicorn Popping 5 years ago
So... little naked people is Bosch, little clothed people is Bruegel, got it!!!
#15
If All The Men Look Like Cow-Eyed Curly-Haired Women, It’s Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
#16
If Everyone In The Paintings Has Enormous Asses, Then It’s Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens
#17
If Every Painting Is The Face Of A Uni-Browed Woman, It’s Frida
Frida Kahlo
Molly A. Block 5 years ago
Description forgot to add that there must be monkeys present, and shadow mustaches.
#18
If Everything Is Highly-Contrasted And Sharp, Sort Of Bluish, And Everyone Has Gaunt Bearded Faces, It’s El Greco
Doménikos Theotokópoulos - El Greco ("The Greek")
#19
If The Painting Could Easily Have A Few Chubby Cupids Or Sheep Added (Or Already Has Them), It’s Boucher
François Boucher
Mimi M 5 years ago
I knew all of these except for Boucher. And yeah, the writer is accurate. Handy dandy, indeed.
Marie-Louise Chenois 5 years ago
He's my fav painter with Nattier (same era) i'm a fan of rococo :p
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Erin 2 years ago
Of course not, they are sisters of course! Or just really close friends! Roommates even! This is definitely platonic love happening and nothing gay could possibly be taking place. /s
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DotC 5 years ago
If the light and color are similar to Boucher, but there are 18th Century clothes and possibly a swing, Its Fragonard.
Lorraine R 5 years ago
I thought this was Fragonard until I saw the caption.
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HalfShelli 5 years ago (edited)
Are his paintings always this… Sapphic? (NO complaints from me!!)
Ken Patterson 4 years ago
Interesting post, though I am not sure I can distinguish the subtlety of Manet's vs. Renoir's partyers, nor the characterization of the people in Bosch vs. Bruegel. I can, of course, recognize a Bruegel, but am less familiar with Bosch.
rhyan lumilay 5 years ago
My Gosh that baby under her leg! I don't know if she kicked it or saving it by clutching it in her legs.
Clive Silverman 2 years ago
if no one is facing the onlooker/painter in the eye, it's Van Gogh
Bruce Black 4 years ago
I'm going to show my students this post. It is funny, but suprisingly accurate!
Vickie Davies 5 years ago
Tongue in cheek 🤪art history...comedy aside, Art History is a fascinating world to stimulate your neurons with🎨🧠🧐
Wendy Wells 5 years ago
What is actually going on in this picture? I get the lesbians, but what with the dead animals on the ground? Weird
mst 1 year ago
Post hunt, it seems to be Diana the goddess of the hunt, a scene of worship.
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Laura Hastings-Brownstein 5 years ago
Except the Caravaggio paintings are not women. They are men!
Jenifer Shields 5 years ago
the winged babies always creep me out. don't understand the ladies who cover their houses with pics of cupids...
Add New Image
What do you think ?
RoseTheMad 5 years ago
Here's some more, from an ex art student: If it has wavy and pronounced brushstrokes, it's probably Van Gogh If there's lots of little people with thin "matchstick" legs it's Lowry If there's a lot of bright hippie-like patchwork color, it's likely Gustav Klimt If it looks like an acid trip, it's Kandinsky If it looks like it's been painted made with individual spots/dabs of paint, it's Seurat. If it looks like someone spilt paint everywhere, then it's Pollock. If they have no or barely visible eyebrows, it's Da Vinci.
Sanne H. 5 years ago
And if the painting is a landscape with snowy mountain tops and happy little (pine) trees, it's Bob Ross.... :-)
Load More Replies...
Bored Moogle 5 years ago
If the painting is a landscape painting featuring gardens, Christmas, cottages, warm lights and a sweet sense of nostalgia, it's Thomas Kinkade.
Terry Butler 2 years ago
My husband said if I bought a Thomas Kinkade, he'd buy a velvet Elvis. Stalemate.
Load More Replies...
Tùng Hoàng 5 years ago
If everything happens in a room, light from window, awesome details and perspective, it's Vermeer
John Louis 5 years ago
Now I can up my game as a pretentious art scholar who knows more than you.
Colin Leamon 5 years ago
If it's stupid, ridiculous nonsense selling to people with more money than sense it's Modern Art
Andrew Gemkow 5 years ago
If the installation needs a plaque to justify it as art, it's contemporary modern art.
Load More Replies...
April Simnel 5 years ago
If the painting has no real background, everything in it (including people) looks topsy-turvy, it's very colorful, and there's a fiddler in there somewhere, it's Marc Chagall.
Anya Portyankina 5 years ago
It’s a translation, not an original work. You should honour the original author https://californian-bi4.livejournal.com/185917.html
Lindy Mac 5 years ago
Hey Bored Panda... is this what you do?... take people's work and not credit them. Thanks Anya... It's bad enough to just take and re-post but then to not give credit - that is rude.
Load More Replies...
Liam Proven 5 years ago
You know you did this yourselves 3 years ago, right? https://www.boredpanda.com/how-to-recognize-painters-by-their-work/
Avital Pilpel 5 years ago (edited)
If it's an acid trip^10th, it's Megritte. If it is an old discarded object it's Douchamp. Looks like a child's painting from preschool? Miro. Gives you nightmares even when you're not sure why? Goya. A couple of squares, that'll be $10 mil, please? Malevich.
David Rutter 5 years ago
Another artist that's easy to identify on sight is Seurat. I'm surprised he didn't get a guide here.
Jo Aldridge 5 years ago
This would be awesome for teachers to use as a resource for kids to teach then about the famous artists. I really enjoyed it, thanks for posting.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
If it moves or is a large abstract piece of sculpture, it's Alexander Calder.
Vincent Jay 5 years ago
Very interesting. I can't imagine a situation in which I'd ever use this knowledge, but it's interesting that famous artists' work can be boiled down to simple concepts like this.
Ольга Костыгина 5 years ago
I've read this in 2010's livejournal in russian. Here is google translated version of probably first source of this guide: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornian-bi4.livejournal.com%2F185917.html&sandbox=1
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
Repost. https://www.boredpanda.com/how-to-recognize-painters-by-their-work/
Andrew Gemkow 5 years ago
That was fun... except for the sexuality cause heads dragging their ego into the matter because they are clearly more portant than a light-headed take on art history. 🙄
Jazz Akins 5 years ago
Not to be a d**k but I feel like a few of these are pretty obvious who it’s by:Frida,Picasso,Rembrandt,Dali,Monet Well I guess it’s obvious as long as the painting is done in the artist ‘usual’ style
Matthew Terry 5 years ago
How about if it looks like it was printed on a dot matrix printer it's Seurat?
Raine 5 years ago (edited)
My interpretation - sexuality was a big thing in those days.. and clearly artist expressed their sexual desires or grievances through art for example - François Boucher has cupids in the background which makes this art about love. and this is clearly two women who are intimate with each other. he clearly desired to see two women together.
hobbitly 5 years ago
Those are not 2 women on that painting, they are Jupiter and Callisto.
Load More Replies...
RoseTheMad 5 years ago
Here's some more, from an ex art student: If it has wavy and pronounced brushstrokes, it's probably Van Gogh If there's lots of little people with thin "matchstick" legs it's Lowry If there's a lot of bright hippie-like patchwork color, it's likely Gustav Klimt If it looks like an acid trip, it's Kandinsky If it looks like it's been painted made with individual spots/dabs of paint, it's Seurat. If it looks like someone spilt paint everywhere, then it's Pollock. If they have no or barely visible eyebrows, it's Da Vinci.
Sanne H. 5 years ago
And if the painting is a landscape with snowy mountain tops and happy little (pine) trees, it's Bob Ross.... :-)
Load More Replies... Bored Moogle 5 years ago
If the painting is a landscape painting featuring gardens, Christmas, cottages, warm lights and a sweet sense of nostalgia, it's Thomas Kinkade.
Terry Butler 2 years ago
My husband said if I bought a Thomas Kinkade, he'd buy a velvet Elvis. Stalemate.
Load More Replies... Tùng Hoàng 5 years ago
If everything happens in a room, light from window, awesome details and perspective, it's Vermeer
John Louis 5 years ago
Now I can up my game as a pretentious art scholar who knows more than you.
Colin Leamon 5 years ago
If it's stupid, ridiculous nonsense selling to people with more money than sense it's Modern Art
Andrew Gemkow 5 years ago
If the installation needs a plaque to justify it as art, it's contemporary modern art.
Load More Replies... April Simnel 5 years ago
If the painting has no real background, everything in it (including people) looks topsy-turvy, it's very colorful, and there's a fiddler in there somewhere, it's Marc Chagall.
Anya Portyankina 5 years ago
It’s a translation, not an original work. You should honour the original author https://californian-bi4.livejournal.com/185917.html
Lindy Mac 5 years ago
Hey Bored Panda... is this what you do?... take people's work and not credit them. Thanks Anya... It's bad enough to just take and re-post but then to not give credit - that is rude.
Load More Replies... Liam Proven 5 years ago
You know you did this yourselves 3 years ago, right? https://www.boredpanda.com/how-to-recognize-painters-by-their-work/
Avital Pilpel 5 years ago (edited)
If it's an acid trip^10th, it's Megritte. If it is an old discarded object it's Douchamp. Looks like a child's painting from preschool? Miro. Gives you nightmares even when you're not sure why? Goya. A couple of squares, that'll be $10 mil, please? Malevich.
David Rutter 5 years ago
Another artist that's easy to identify on sight is Seurat. I'm surprised he didn't get a guide here.
Jo Aldridge 5 years ago
This would be awesome for teachers to use as a resource for kids to teach then about the famous artists. I really enjoyed it, thanks for posting.
Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
If it moves or is a large abstract piece of sculpture, it's Alexander Calder.
Vincent Jay 5 years ago
Very interesting. I can't imagine a situation in which I'd ever use this knowledge, but it's interesting that famous artists' work can be boiled down to simple concepts like this.
Ольга Костыгина 5 years ago
I've read this in 2010's livejournal in russian. Here is google translated version of probably first source of this guide: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=&sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornian-bi4.livejournal.com%2F185917.html&sandbox=1
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
Repost. https://www.boredpanda.com/how-to-recognize-painters-by-their-work/
Andrew Gemkow 5 years ago
That was fun... except for the sexuality cause heads dragging their ego into the matter because they are clearly more portant than a light-headed take on art history. 🙄
Jazz Akins 5 years ago
Not to be a d**k but I feel like a few of these are pretty obvious who it’s by:Frida,Picasso,Rembrandt,Dali,Monet Well I guess it’s obvious as long as the painting is done in the artist ‘usual’ style
Matthew Terry 5 years ago
How about if it looks like it was printed on a dot matrix printer it's Seurat?
Raine 5 years ago (edited)
My interpretation - sexuality was a big thing in those days.. and clearly artist expressed their sexual desires or grievances through art for example - François Boucher has cupids in the background which makes this art about love. and this is clearly two women who are intimate with each other. he clearly desired to see two women together.
hobbitly 5 years ago
Those are not 2 women on that painting, they are Jupiter and Callisto.
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