In 2020, The Getty Museum challenged its followers to recreate famous works of art using items found around their homes. Of all submissions, none gained more attention than that of Texas-based artist Eliza Reinhardt and her Australian Shepherd, Finn.

After two years of creating, the pair now have more than 100 photos in their portfolio. They have paid homage to some of the art world’s biggest names, including Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Gustav Klimt, and Heironymous Bosch. And though Finn seems to take his work seriously, many of these photos take on a rather humorous tone.

All of this emphasizes that if you want to create fun social media content with your paw pals, the art world can be a great place to draw inspiration from. DIY recreations of famous paintings are visually appealing as well as funny, so they’ll certainly stand out on your followers’ feeds. And just like Reinhardt and Finn, staging art photoshoots can also help you and your furry baby bond!

Here are a few famous paintings you can recreate with your dogs.

Dogs Playing Poker by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge

Source: Wikipedia

Dogs Playing Poker actually doesn’t refer to one piece, but rather a series of 18 commissions created by painter Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. Each piece features a group of humanized dogs participating in poker games and other typical human activities. Though critics during the time of their creation never considered these pieces “genuine” art, the paintings have since exploded in popularity. Some now sell for millions of dollars.

The Dogs Playing Poker series is famous for its humorous micro-narratives. Case in point, one painting called A Bold Bluff famously features a Saint Bernard staking a huge stack of chips for a pair of deuces. In standard poker hand rankings, pairs don’t really hold much weight; they’re among the lowest-ranked poker hands, only beating high cards. This makes it all the more amusing that the Saint Bernard keeps his poker face on as the other dogs struggle to determine whether or not he’s bluffing.

Now, we recognize that it can be hard to get such a large group of pups to sit still for a photo. However, if you manage to recreate even one of Coolidge’s iconic paintings, you might find yourself holding a hilarious little masterpiece in your hands.

The Dog by Francisco Goya

Source: Wikipedia

Spanish painter Francisco Goya had a well-known fascination with the macabre. His paintings, which mainly took inspiration from history and mythology, tended to portray unsettling scenes, typically with dark and muted color schemes. His most famous work, Saturn Devours His Son, depicts exactly what its title suggests: a father, looming in the dark, consuming the arm of his already mutilated infant son.

However, not all of Goya’s paintings included violence. Goya also created The Dog, a simple painting of a small dog staring up at a slope. The dog takes up only a small part of the canvas, while a dirty ochre sky dominates the rest of the space.

Admittedly, The Dog is a sombre piece. Art historians often interpret the painting as a depiction of human hopelessness against fate. However, photo recreations of The Dog can take a more lighthearted spin. Simply replace the color scheme with something brighter, or show your dog smiling.

Lady With An Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci

Source: Wikipedia

Leonardo da Vinci has created some of the most well-known works of art of all time, including the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian Man. One of his masterpieces, called Lady With An Ermine, hasn’t received as much attention in the mainstream, by comparison –– but it’s still widely loved in the world of art. The painting features Milanese socialite Cecilia Gallerani holding a large white ermine.

Though dogs obviously aren’t ermines, Lady With An Ermine might be one of the easiest paintings to recreate with your furbaby. Your photo might even end up carrying a bit of symbolism: Throughout history, ermines were regarded as symbols of purity. And there’s nothing purer than our paw pals!

Once you learn good dog training techniques, it becomes easier to bond with your dog. Bonding activities, such as recreating works of art for social media, can help you deepen your understanding of your dogs’ behaviors and form tighter connections with them.