122 Times People Took A Photograph And Realized It’s “Accidental Renaissance”

When you point your camera at a random thing on the street, you usually don’t expect much. But in the vast sea of dull photos that fill your camera roll, one stands out. Call it a miracle, or a lovely surprise, but if you feel like the pic is superior in composition, style, lighting, and somewhat resembles a classical painting, it may be that you have just encountered “accidental renaissance.”

Thanks to the devoted community r/AccidentalRenaissance that seeks the thrill of photography that “accidentally resembles the types of art popular from the 14th-19th centuries,” we now know it’s a thing and not a mere coincidence. Created in 2014, the subreddit now has 748k “universalis personae,” aka members, who like looking for dramatic compositions, complex narratives, sophisticated lightning, and pictorial colors in everyday snaps.

So scroll down to see what the buzz is all about and after you’re done, don’t forget to check part 1 of Accidental Renaissance highlights such as “Pizza Night With The Woofers” and “The Lost Supper.”

#1 Oranges Photographed Through The Glass Panes Of A Greenhouse

Image credits: mikeleus

#2 Accidentally Took A Picture Of My Cat That Looks Like An Old Master's Painting

Image credits: hueftenspeck

#3 Firefighters Taking A Break Out West

Image credits: Rat_Cat_Batman

#4 A Caring Matriarch

Image credits: shy-latte

#5 The Coffee Shop Window

Image credits: KingofHarts32

#6 My Girlfriend's Uncle Took A Photo Of This Monk At A 13th Century Monastery

Image credits: mtkeepsrolling

#7 A Monk In Italy. (Photographer: Steve Mccurry)

Image credits: santino_jann

#8 Blinky In The Sun. Our Pupper Passed Away This Morning. I Always Thought This iPhone Photo Of Him Looked Like A Painting.

Image credits: awheelz84

#9 Snapped This Moment During My 12 Day - 110 Mile (800 Head Of Cattle) Drive From Utah To Arizona

Image credits: crazyoldmaurice

#10 Mr. Fluffies Betrayal.

Image credits: Mustbetheweather3

#11 Are We The Bad Guys?

Image credits: ct1r_571p

#12 Keanu Reeves Ascends To Save Mankind

Image credits: worstwerewolf

#13 Friend Took This Photo Of Me Napping The Other Day, Was Told I Should Post It Here

Image credits: goldilocksdeluxe

#14 Brokering Of The Candy

Image credits: reddit.com

#15 Supper At Home

Image credits: watsin_aname

#16 Our Cat Trying To Steal Cheese

Image credits: Openminded_skeptic

#17 Japanese Opposition Members Trying To Block The Passing Of New Immigration Laws

Image credits: berryjam

#18 Adoration Of The Rose

Image credits: beka_targaryen

#19 The Petulant Donald

Image credits: NocturnalEternal

#20 These Musicians In A Restaurant In Greece

Image credits: WeeShirtOn

#21 Stumbled Upon A Fair In Brussels Recently. Truly Accidental Renaissance For Me!

Image credits: jotwing13

#22 Hope

Image credits: throne_johne

#23 We'll Be Home Soon

Image credits: kartofun69

#24 Stunning

Image credits: dripness

#25 Vasiliy Is Still Breathing

Image credits: gibgod

#26 Feline Friendship

Image credits: crazy_turtle

#27 Power From On High: Two Weed Farming Nuns

Image credits: alterego_001

#28 The First Batch (The Bakehouse In Vancouver)

Image credits: DyslexicSquirrel

#29 Pope Francis Circa 2008

Image credits: PirabKinger

#30 An Amish Vacation

Image credits: westondeboer

#31 Dearly Beloved.

Image credits: SirBroDude

#32 And So The Sun Was Created For The Pleasure Of These Majestic Creatures. Warming The Souls Of All Those Who Gaze Upon Their Magnificence.

Image credits: stevensoncrash45

#33 This Picture Of A Russian Canteen Made Me Think Of This Sub

Image credits: Vsevolda

#34 Battle Of Wallmart

Image credits: runeet

#35 Image Of The First Case Of The New Coronavirus Infected Person In Hongkong

Image credits: powtsu

#36 Renaissance Chickens

Image credits: rattechnology

#37 The Horsemen

Image credits: laceandhoney

#38 King James Falling Into The Seats Looked Like Some Sort Of Renaissance Composition

Image credits: GallowBoob

#39 13th Attempt To Break The Gaza Blockade By Sea

Image credits: radonchong

#40 Student At Rest

Image credits: ohwellthisisawkward

#41 Stevie Nicks Photographed At A Fleetwood Mac Concert In 1978

Image credits: dancovzz

#42 This Photo My Friend Took Today In A Farm Around Wismar

Image credits: mr-zool

#43 A Feast In The Capital City

Image credits: median401k

#44 The Selfie

Image credits: reddit.com

#45 My Daughter Refused To Cooperate During A Photoshoot

Image credits: Waynersnitzel

#46 Concert Selfie

Image credits: ironypatrol

#47 Prime Minister In Mourning

Image credits: SiliconDon

#48 A Young Man, Illuminated By Mobile Phones, Recites A Poem While Protestors Chant Slogans Calling For Civilian Rule, During A Blackout In Khartoum, Sudan

Image credits: Somali_Pir8

#49 Betrayal

Image credits: LeningradCowboy

#50 Reflect

Image credits: Bozhark

#51 Chinese Policemen Visiting The Remote Region Of Xinjiang To Spread Awareness Of The Coronavirus (2020)

Image credits: docteurfake

#52 Russian Soldier Playing An Abandoned Piano In Chechnya

Image credits: ultralightdick

#53 Quarantined Italians Play Music To Each Other

Image credits: rogermoog

#54 This Lady Pealing Pomegranates

Image credits: jacobyh7

#55 Jay Wright Captured Backstage At A Rodarte Fashion Show, Thought It Was A Painting At First Glance!

Image credits: ceffir

#56 A Nun At The Airport (Oc)

Image credits: csababernath

#57 Politicians In Flooded Venice, 2019

Image credits: zmrly

#58 California Fire Being Extinguished By A 747

Image credits: ryannut

#59 A Monk Prays For An Elderly Man Who Had Died Suddenly While Waiting For A Train In China.

Image credits: milsyway

#60 In The Train,india

Image credits: yehbikgayehaigormint

#61 The Barista

Image credits: watsin_aname

#62 Evening Train

Image credits: Panishev

#63 The Sacrifice Of Isaac

Image credits: 8bit-Corno

#64 Yu-Gi-Oh

Image credits: reddit.com

#65 Seated Jester

Image credits: CosmicRustle

#66 Clutching His Robe In Fear

Image credits: Redsss429

#67 Paris, Jan 11 2020

Image credits: haroun_tazer

#68 Shutting Off A Long Beach Fire Hydrant

Image credits: itsDuck0nQuack

#69 The Modern Mona Lisa

Image credits: daft-punker

#70 Fields Of Fire

Image credits: rooodney

#71 Game’s Night

Image credits: blakefaraway

#72 Two Mice Fighting.

Image credits: sk8boy102

#73 The Voter

Image credits: CardiganHall

#74 The Ride Home

Image credits: slyburger13

#75 This Turkish Guy At Work.

Image credits: reddit.com

#76 This Photo Of My Favorite Chicken Turned Out Accidentally Beautiful

Image credits: mgracierees

#77 The Catastrophe Of The Paella

Image credits: borjaramos

#78 A Little Girl Carrying A Lamb To Shelter From Falling Ash During Iceland's 2010 Volcanic Eruption.

Image credits: takemedady

#79 My Friend In Our New Apartment

Image credits: reddit.com

#80 United States Of America 2020

Image credits: JDeCarvalho1

#81 Chef In Siena, Italy 2020

Image credits: iskanderthethief

#82 The Bride After Dark

Image credits: alterego_001

#83 The Modern Plague

Image credits: owlingthrough2

#84 When Your Travel Pillow Makes You Shakespeare

Image credits: Mopninja

#85 The Fire (2019)

Image credits: jrcprl

#86 The Invasion Of Private Space

Image credits: Ab1ue

#87 Signing Their Wedding License In A Bar

Image credits: dl50000

#88 The Creation Of Internets

Image credits: Plastic_Mouldsman

#89 The Storyteller

Image credits: The_FanATic

#90 The Oath Of Blasey Ford

Image credits: osthentic

#91 Russian Flutist Playing Mozart During Removal Of Brain Tumor

Image credits: tmrmrk

#92 The Failed System Of Brazil

Image credits: Dronnie

#93 The Last Mcsupper

Image credits: anavanch

#94 Victorian Mob

Image credits: owlmelon

#95 My Son And I Caught In A Storm

Image credits: CLWsucks

#96 Florence Welch (2018)

Image credits: zmrly

#97 Moscow Subway

Image credits: jazzkimm

#98 London Children And Their Families, Celebrating Christmas Day In An Underground Shelter. December 25 1940.

Image credits: evilgator

#99 Not Sure If The Painting Is Considered Renaissance But If It Is Then ‘Double Renaissance’

Image credits: mattc1987

#100 Contemporary Mediterranean Woman

Image credits: iosonosempreio

#101 México (2020)

Image credits: Ryajek

#102 Took This Of My Dog When He Was Drying Off From A Rainy Walk, Felt Very Regal

Image credits: reddit.com

#103 The Fall Of A Sister

Image credits: Scatter88

#104 The Passion Of The Slice

Image credits: LasciviousSycophant

#105 The Great Race

Image credits: Herny_

#106 Saint Dad, Out Father Of Newborn

Image credits: MyUglyKitty

#107 The Family Trying To Take Wine Away From My Aunt For A Christmas Photo.

Image credits: forcedByBoy

#108 Me And My Wife After A 7am Wedding In Disney World Circa 2017

Image credits: nptdurant

#109 Full Circle Renaissance (Credit: Bosslogic)

Image credits: Frlzzl

#110 War Of The Melon

Image credits: Chehade

#111 Blackout During Examination

Image credits: reddit.com

#112 These Guys Doing Homework At The Bar

Image credits: froggiesays

#113 A Full Train

Image credits: SobolanAtomic

#114 This Photo I Took At The Volin Viking Festival This Summer

Image credits: TheThread

#115 The Epiphany

Image credits: frozenfirekid

#116 Hurricane Teddy - Cape Hatteras, Nc

Image credits: yelpisforsnitches

#117 As Renaissance As It Gets

Image credits: WhitneyHoustonsKnees

#118 Love Blooms

Image credits: Bluetron13

#119 Linda In Majesty

Image credits: coolproblems

#120 My Girlfriend Suffering With Eye Pain

Image credits: reddit.com

#121 The Adoration Of The Screen.

Image credits: reddit.com

#122 Man Reading At Mcdonalds

Image credits: reddit.com

#123 Looks Like Something Van Gogh Would Have A Time With.