Art Historian Goes Viral For Hilarious Tips On How To Become An ‘Art Expert’

The world of art can be very hard to navigate! I’ll openly admit that even though I’m an art lover, when it comes to the bit about recognizing which time period a piece is from, I end up completely befuddled. Luckily for me, there are plenty of friendly people on the internet to set the record straight, educate us, and help make us seem like art rockstars at dinner parties and art galleries alike.

One of these people is Melbourne art historian and video creator Mary McGillivray, who created a series of very informative and witty videos explaining what art movements a particular work of art is from and who the artist who painted it is. All so we can show off our great taste and in-depth knowledge in front of our friends (and learn something new while we’re at it!). Check out some of Mary’s full videos below, as shared on her _theiconoclass TikTok account, and be sure to follow Mary’s social media accounts for her latest updates if you enjoyed her content.

Mary was kind enough to offer me a glimpse into how she went from studying art history to creating educational videos. “The story begins back in Australia’s first COVID lockdown in 2020—ah, memories—where I found myself stuck at home with nothing to do. On a whim, I decided to put my degree in art history and my skills as a professional video editor to good use and make TikToks to entertain myself. I had no idea people would like my jokes about homoerotic frescoes as much as they did, but 10 months later, here we are!” the art historian told Bored Panda. You’ll find our full interview with her, as well as with former gallery director and art expert Shelby Bercume, below!

This Australian art historian is helping educate millions of people

Art Historian Goes Viral For Hilarious Tips On How To Become An ‘Art Expert’

Image credits: _theiconoclass

In some of her witty videos, she explains how we can impress our friends by learning to recognize different art movements and artists

#1 “If It Looks Like The Chaos After A Blackout Where Everyone Is Stumbling Around In The Dark Under One Solitary Emergency Light, It’s A Caravaggio”

“The Taking of Christ” by Caravaggio

Art Historian Goes Viral For Hilarious Tips On How To Become An ‘Art Expert’

Art Historian Goes Viral For Hilarious Tips On How To Become An ‘Art Expert’

This Australian art historian is helping educate millions of people

In some of her witty videos, she explains how we can impress our friends by learning to recognize different art movements and artists

#1 “If It Looks Like The Chaos After A Blackout Where Everyone Is Stumbling Around In The Dark Under One Solitary Emergency Light, It’s A Caravaggio”

#2 “If Its A Portrait Of Rembrandt, It’s A Rembrandt”

#3 “If It Looks Like You Need Your Glasses Prescription Updated, Then It’s Impressionism”

#4 “If Everyone In The Painting Looks Unreasonably Jacked, Including The Women, It’s A Michelangelo”

#5 “If It’s Got Palpable Female Rage And/Or Vengeance – It’s An Artemisia”

#6 “If There’s At Least One Person Looking To The Camera Like They’re On The Office, It’s Diego Velázquez”

#7 “If Its Got Rich People Frollicing Outdoors Then Its Rococo”

#8 “If She’s Blonde And Has This Exact Face, It’s A Botticelli”

#9 “If It Looks Like A Tupperware Drawer, Then It’s Cubism”

#10 “If It Looks Like A Nightmare You Once Had About Being Stranded In The Desert Then Its Surrealism”

#11 “If It Looks Like An Amateur Theatre Production, Then Its Neo-Classical”

#12 “If It Looks Like Angsty Male Ego, Then It’s German Romanticism”

#13 “If It Looks Like A Scene From Madaline, It’s A Jean Dufy”

#14 “If It’s Got Ugly Babies, It’s Medieval”

#15 “If It Looks Like … It’s An O’keeffe”

#16 “If It Looks Like A Cottagecore Pinup Girl, Then Its Art Nouveau”

#17 “If It’s Got More Flesh Than A Nudist Beach – It’s A Rubens”

#18 “If Its Unfinished, It’s Probably A Leonardo”

#19 “If It Looks Like A Really Satisfying Game Of Tetris It’s A Mondrian”

#20 “It Looks Like A School Nativity Play Where Everyone’s Made A Toga Out Of Different Colored Bedsheets It’s A Giotto”

#21 “If There’s A Room With Some Nice Furniture, A Window, And Some Women Just Going About Here Everyday Business, It’s A Vermeer”

#22 “If It Looks Like The Artistic Equivalent Of A Nicotine Addiction, Its An Egon Schiele”

#23 “If Its Got Sad Peasants It’s 19th Century Realism”

#24 “If The People Look Way Too Long, Then It’s Mannerism”

#25 “If It’s Got A Happy Presence, It’s A Dutch Genre Painting”

#26 “If You’re Not Sure If It Is Art, Then Its Dada”

#27 “If It Looks Like A Low Res Jpeg Blown Up Its Pointillism”

#28 “If It’s Got Cute Babies, It’s Baroque”

#29 “If Its Homoerotic And Painted On A Wall Or Ceiling, Then Its High Renaissance”

#30 “If It’s Just Got Nice Trees, It’s A Claude Lorrain”

#31 “If It Looks Like A Really Stressful Game Of Tetris It’s A George Braque”

#32 “If It Looks Like A Trendy Collage Artist’s Instagram Then Its Constructivism”

#33 “If It Looks Like A Gorman Puffer Jacket It’s A Matisse”

#34 “If It Looks Like The First Kid At School Who Learnt How To Draw In 3D And Would Not Shut Up About It, It’s A Massaccio”

#35 “If She’s Blonde And Got Thicc Thighs, It’s A Titian”

#36 “If It’s Got Nice Trees But Boring Figures, It’s A Poussin”