r/AccidentalRenaissance

166K archived posts · Aug 2014 – Sep 2026

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Accidental Renaissance

r/AccidentalRenaissance is a subreddit for photos that accidentally resemble Renaissance style art.

Created Aug 7, 2014

1.3MMembers (last snapshot)

166KArchived posts

###Today's Photos on Yesterday's Canvas

Welcome to r/AccidentalRenaissance, the subreddit that showcases photographs that inadvertently resemble well-composed, Renaissance style art.

###What does Accidental Renaissance mean?

What we mean by Accidental Renaissance is a photo that inadvertently (accidentally) resembles a painting similar in composition, style, lighting, and/or subject to Renaissance-style art.

We recognize there are many related art movements between the 14th and 19th centuries including: Baroque, Neo-classicism, Romantic, Dutch Golden Age, etc. All of these styles are appreciated and welcomed within this subreddit.

Please visit the Louvre website here to view their collection of paintings from the 14th through mid-19th century

###What an AccidentalRenaissance photo IS:

A photo that accidentally resembles the types of art popular from the 14th-19th centuries. (It's the 'Renaissance' that is accidental, not the photo itself)
A good quality photo that is high-resolution and in focus.
Composition: Triangular/Pyramidal figures, Symmetrical or Dynamic, asymmetrical composition, mathematically composed, using foreshortening & linear perspective, and of course the use of the Fibonacci sequence or Golden Ratio.
Lighting: Natural-looking, diffused lighting, occasionally featuring use of sfumato (blurring/softening of outlines) and/or chiaroscuro (strong contrasts between light and dark), often imparting a characteristic "glow" that makes figures seem to be lit from within.
Subject: Landscapes, people, scenes, that feature the above.

###We ask that you please read the following simple suggested rules prior to your submission:

Each submission must be a direct image link and only be sourced from the mod-approved site list.
If the subject in reference to the post seems deliberately posed, styled, or composed to resemble Renaissance art, it is not considered accidental and will be removed.
Creative and original titles resembling that of a labeled caption found in an art exhibition or museum are encouraged. For inspiration and assistance in your inventive title abilities, visit The Louvre.
Subject to Removal: (there are exceptions to every rule and removals are at mods’ discretion:)
- Videos, GIFS, memes, or actual paintings/art. (I.E. anything that is NOT a photo)
- Photos deemed NSFW or NSFL.
- Photos that are blatantly political in nature, feature politicians campaigning for political office, or are blatant political advertising.
- Photos containing any text overlay or memes
- Photos promoting violence, featuring current tragic events, or intended to incite controversy.
- Movie stills, screenshots of TV shows, movies, or games, or digitally altered photos.
- Reposts of content from the past 12 months in this subreddit and/or the top 200 posts of all time. (See The top posts of all time in this subreddit, KarmaDecay, TinEye to see if your photo has been posted before)
- Photos that are common reposts and have been deemed "retired" by the moderators of this page.
Please use the report button for anything that you feel breaks the rules, and please message the mods with any concerns, constructive advice, or even positive feedback (?!) you may have.

We want to make this community fun while also faithful to the subject matter. Thanks to all the users who have built this community!

We implore you to familiarize yourself with the official rules and reddiquette. Mods reserve the right to remove content or restrict user’s posting privileges as needed. If you believe a user has breached any of these agreements, please report the content.

###Related Subreddits:

Comment that started it all

Inform Yourself on Renaissance Artwork Style

Other communities

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