The World's Most Hilarious Works of Art
Anybody with an interest in art understands the wide range of human emotion it can captivate. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have used various expressions of art to capture humor, sadness, anger, pain, happiness and a slew of other feelings. It can be difficult to truly capture a moment in time with a piece of art, but those who do it successfully are often remembered throughout the ages. Sometimes, you can't help but look at a work of art and just laugh. If you're in need of a light-hearted perspective today, then keep reading to find out about the world's most hilarious works of art.
Anybody with an interest in art understands the wide range of human emotion it can captivate. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have used various expressions of art to capture humor, sadness, anger, pain, happiness and a slew of other feelings. It can be difficult to truly capture a moment in time with a piece of art, but those who do it successfully are often remembered throughout the ages. Sometimes, you can't help but look at a work of art and just laugh. If you're in need of a light-hearted perspective today, then keep reading to find out about the world's most hilarious works of art.
The Experts, 1837
Long before we had access to Joke of the Day calendars and other forms of on-demand humor, people had to settle for witty commentaries left hidden in the works of famous writers and artists. “The Experts” is a painting that exudes one of those messages. After being consistently rejected by the French Academy of Painting for his unconventional styles, Alexandre Decamps crafted a painting that depicts various art snobs obsessing intently over a more conventional painting of the period. The catch? All of the snobs in this case are depicted as monkeys.
The Flatterers, 1592
16th century art, in general, is filled with all sorts of odd, abstract and even extreme expressions, but one of the funniest among them is “The Flatterers”. Painted by Pieter Brueghel, the scene depicts what happens when various show-offs try to brown-nose their superiors far too much. That age-old metaphor of being “stuck up someone's you know what” truly is quite old indeed, as this painting clearly depicts it from more than 400 years ago.
Joseph Decreux, 1793
One of the better-known pieces of art on this list due to its Archaic Rap meme status from several years back, one of Joseph Decreux's self-portraits elicits laughter in many who recognize the coincidence of its pop culture vibes. Featuring Decreux in a top hat and cane, pointing slyly, the abnormal pose and style of the 18th century made him famous both in his time and today.
Paintings of Children, 1888
Many of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings were dark, moody or mysterious in some way. His style didn't always take on this tone, however. Apparently, he really enjoyed painting children – but that doesn't mean that his classic style wasn't there. In a series known as “Paintings of Children” or sometimes “Babies by Van Gogh”, multiple oil paintings of babies and young children strike the viewer as oddly hilarious or silly. While this wasn't the intent, some are just too funny looking not to laugh at.
Other Honorable Mentions
There are numerous pieces of art that – while not intentionally designed to be humorous – ended up being so in modern context. You'll find numerous art memes and blogs on the web dedicated to exploring the uniquely funny elements and backgrounds in paintings, giving them a hilarious twist. It just goes to show you that beauty – and humor, for that matter – is in the eye of the beholder.
