# High Art (Paintings, Sculpture, etc.) That Breaks The Fourth Wall **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728 "2020-09-03T15:17:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/1 "2020-09-03T15:17:29Z")
Take a look at [this painting](https://youtu.be/6LynenQ5h2Y?t=45) that appears on the screen briefly in the YouTube video I’m linking to. Notice how the servant appears to look knowingly at the viewer while his master gorges on food. Can you provide any other examples of “high art,” such as sculpture or paintings or what have you, that breaks the fourth wall, in the way that this painting appears to? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/2 "2020-09-03T15:26:58Z")
This scene from “The Help” [https://www.pinterest.at/pin/76772368625542887/](https://www.pinterest.at/pin/76772368625542887/) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/3 "2020-09-03T16:14:32Z")
[Self-Portrait as a Mocker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/Joseph_Ducreux_Original_Self-Portrait.jpg) surely qualifies ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/4 "2020-09-03T16:19:12Z")
If the Peasant in Pieter Breughels the Elder’s The {easant and the Nest Robber isn’t pointing the Nest Robber out to the viewer of the painting, who is he doing it for? > **[The Peasant and the Nest Robber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peasant_and_the_Nest_Robber)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > The Peasant and the Nest Robber (also The Peasant and the Birdnester) is an oil-on-panel painting by the Netherlandish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, painted in 1568. It is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. > This painting was in the collections of since 1569; passed on to the imperial collection, it became part of those of the Kunsthistorisches Museum at its inauguration. Painted the year before the artist's death, this pain... Similarly,the St. John the Baptist by Leonardo that article references also appears to be gesturing for the benefit of the viewer. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/5 "2020-09-03T16:27:11Z")
I just wanted to add, I wouldn’t classify Regency-era caricature prints as “High Art”. They’re more a combo of political cartoon and moralizing comic book. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/6 "2020-09-03T16:35:58Z")
Would classical instances of trompe l’oeil qualify? It’s not exactly a subject in the medium peeking back at the viewer, but rather the painting itself is playing with the viewer. I’m particularly thinking of something like [“Interior of the Oude Kerk in Delft”](https://useum.org/artwork/Interior-of-the-Oude-Kerk-in-Delft-Gerard-Houckgeest-1654). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/7 "2020-09-03T17:52:37Z")
Dude on the far right is a self-portrait of the artist staring back at the viewer. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration\_of\_the\_Magi\_(Botticelli,_1475)#/media/File:Botticelli_-_Adoration\_of\_the\_Magi_(Zanobi\_Altar)\_-\_Uffizi.jpg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi_(Botticelli,_1475)#/media/File:Botticelli_-_Adoration_of_the_Magi_(Zanobi_Altar)_-_Uffizi.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/8 "2020-09-03T18:45:51Z")
This painting not only breaks the fourth wall, it breaks your brain [![](https://amberhodson.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/this_is_not_a_pipe_by_kaciukas.jpg) ](https://amberhodson.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/this_is_not_a_pipe_by_kaciukas.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/9 "2020-09-03T18:58:09Z")
DaVinci’s _ **Madonna of the Rocks** _. [![](https://paintingandframe.com/art-imgs/leonardo_da_vinci/madonna_of_the_rocks-3734.jpg) ](https://paintingandframe.com/art-imgs/leonardo_da_vinci/madonna_of_the_rocks-3734.jpg) IIRC, the babies are (left to right) Jesus and John the Baptist. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/10 "2020-09-03T19:45:57Z")
My favorite joke regarding this is from Craig Swanson’s **Perspicuity** strip (now sadly defunct) [https://www.perspicuity.com/?lightbox=image\_10w3](https://www.perspicuity.com/?lightbox=image_10w3) ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/11 "2020-09-03T19:54:02Z")
_Susannah and the Elders_ by Guercino. The old man on the left warns the viewer to keep quiet, implicating us as a participant in the voyeurism. [![](https://content3.cdnprado.net/imagenes/Documentos/imgsem/9c/9c9b/9c9b3611-5c80-457d-a99a-e5580f3074e6/987dbbd3-f7d2-45d3-9d8f-70dfae9db6de_832.jpg) ](https://content3.cdnprado.net/imagenes/Documentos/imgsem/9c/9c9b/9c9b3611-5c80-457d-a99a-e5580f3074e6/987dbbd3-f7d2-45d3-9d8f-70dfae9db6de_832.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/12 "2020-09-03T20:12:49Z")
That is not “ceci n’est pas une pipe”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/13 "2020-09-03T20:20:12Z")
Goya’s “Family of the Infante Don Juan.” Check out the man with the bandage. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/La_familia_del_infante_don_Luis.jpg/1280px-La_familia_del_infante_don_Luis.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/La_familia_del_infante_don_Luis.jpg/1280px-La_familia_del_infante_don_Luis.jpg) Note that he’s not looking at the artist. He’s looking at you (as are several others). ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/14 "2020-09-03T20:24:12Z")
Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe by Manet. [https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/le-dejeuner-sur-lherbe-edouard-manet](https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/le-dejeuner-sur-lherbe-edouard-manet) It’s kind of the opposite of @journeyman_southpaw’s proposal ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/15 "2020-09-03T20:41:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That is not “ceci n’est pas une pipe”. 🤯 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/16 "2020-09-03T20:47:09Z")
Another trompe l’oeil: _Escaping Criticism_ by Pere Borrell del Caso [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Escaping_criticism-by_pere_borrel_del_caso.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Escaping_criticism-by_pere_borrel_del_caso.png) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/17 "2020-09-03T21:41:58Z")
Not obvious (especially since the book showed it in a frame, which was never intended), but “The Goldfinch” was designed to be hung high on a wall the same color as the painting’s background. [![](https://www.niceartgallery.com/pic/51c65b64/162994l.jpg) ](https://www.niceartgallery.com/pic/51c65b64/162994l.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/18 "2020-09-03T21:58:40Z")
Trying to remember a painting at [Polesden Lacey](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/polesden-lacey), I came across this repeat offender: Cornelis de Man: [http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1246498](http://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1246498) and > **[History of fashion](https://history-of-fashion.tumblr.com/post/88746292474/ab-1670-cornelis-de-man-the-chess-players)** > > ab. 1670 Cornelis de Man - The Chess Players > (Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest) j Not sure why the first link is just…a link. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/19 "2020-09-03T22:17:26Z")
In _Las Meninas_, Margarita Teresa, Velázquez and one of the dwarves all look out towards the viewer. That’s probably because the viewers are supposed to be the King and the Queen, who are having their portrait painted and who, because they are her parents, Margarita Teresa finds more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728/20 "2020-09-03T22:28:37Z")
My personal theory is that Mona Lisa just ripped an SBD, hence the smile. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-art-paintings-sculpture-etc-that-breaks-the-fourth-wall/919728.md?page=2)