God is in the details, they say, and they’re not wrong. If you take a closer look, you may find something very surprising… for example, that you are quite an artist.
Today, we take a look at what happens when thanks to pure coincidence, some luck, and a little je ne sais quoi (“I don’t know what” in French), people come up with impressive pieces of unintentional art, from a paint stain that looks like a magic forest which would leave Rembrandt in awe to an accidental drop of paint that probably turned out better than an actual painting ever would.
So below we wrapped up some of the most interesting unintentional “art masterpieces” that are neither quite art nor quite a masterpiece, yet still very impressive. Upvote your favorites as you scroll!
Psst! Don’t forget to check out our previous feature with more accidental art.
#1 The Wear And Scuff Marks On This Boat Look Like An Island In The Sea
#2 My Windshield Looked Like A Watercolour
#3 A Rock-Created, Bird-Shaped Window Art On My Car
Interestingly, accidental art is not a new concept born on online forums and cultivated by various subreddits. The idea that art can stem from something completely unintentional can be traced back to Leonardo Da Vinci, who, scientists claim, gave some interesting advice to an artist struggling from creative block.
Christopher Turner, a British writer and art historian, quotes Da Vinci in an essay published on Tate: “If you look upon an old wall covered with dirt, or the odd appearance of some streaked stones, you may discover several things like landscapes, battles, clouds, uncommon attitudes, humorous faces, draperies, etc. Out of this confused mass of objects, the mind will be furnished with an abundance of designs and subjects perfectly new.”
#4 Broken Plate
#5 Rust Formed On This Old Spool Of Wire In One Of The Coolest Ways I’ve Ever Seen
#6 This Paint I Was Mixing Looked Like A Little Forest Planet
This fresh idea proposed by Da Vinci, Turner argues, encouraged the viewer to search for hidden meaning in chaos. “It referred back to myths about the origin of art in accidental shapes. In De Statua, Leon Battista Alberti supposed that artistic imitation emerged when our ancestors came across a gnarled tree trunk or a piece of clay, whose contours ‘needed only a slight change’ to look strikingly like something else.”
#7 I Took A Picture Of This Strange Lighting Under A Bridge At The San Antonio River Walk
#8 The Way This Car Froze
#9 Pigeon Poops Portrait Of Itself On A Leaf
The artists were mesmerized by the idea that natural artifacts and nature as a whole can be full of artistic readymades, “if only you are patient enough to look for them.”
Throughout the years, for artists and historians alike, accidental artistic gestures like stains or blots offered a new mode of interpretation. “The meaningless stain, which invites the universal urge to project meaning, is the humble stage on which all arguments about art are rehearsed,” Turner concludes.
#10 I Snapped A Photo Of My Dog Through A Window Screen That Looks Like An Old Painting
#11 Old One From When I Worked At Lowe’s
#12 The Way My Cup Broke
#13 Picture Of My Cat Through A Screen Door Makes It Look Like He’s Painted On Canvas
#14 These Clouds Look Like A Child’s Drawing Of Waves
#15 I Took A Picture Of Sidewalk Chalk On A Tire
#16 The Way The Oil And Rain Created This Electric Masterpiece
#17 The Reflection Of These Sticks Makes Interesting Shapes
#18 At First, I Thought This Was Mosaic Tile Until I Got Closer And Found It Has Been In The Sun Too Long
#19 This Rusty Lock Gate Looks Like A Painting
#20 Eye See You
#21 Accidentally Created A Porcupine By Pouring Instant Coffee Over An Americano
#22 Reflection Of Ceiling Lights In My Coffee
#23 The Window Of This House I Rented Looks Like A Painting
#24 I Found A Cat On My Paint Palette
#25 A Clock In A Server Room Where I Work Is Accidental Modern Art
#26 The Way The Soap Bubbles Look Floating Over A Wire Basket
#27 Can Of Unstirred Paint
#28 The Way The Mud Froze On My Truck Looks Like A Painting Of The Forest
#29 Work Of Art Created By A Small Overnight Leak Of Insulating Foam
#30 Almost Art
#31 Countless Hours Of Wind Moved The Chains To Get This Piece Of Art
#32 The Ceiling Light Reflections In This Cup Of Tea
#33 I Dropped Some Coffee And It Looks Like A Bird
#34 My Dirty Coffee Cup Looks Like A Pine Forest
#35 Poured Out An Old Can Of Paint
#36 How The Sunlight Reflects Off The Wall From The Vase
#37 Natural Shell That Looks Like Someone Sketched A Mountain Range On It
#38 The Pattern The Ice Left On My Grill
#39 I Slipped And Fell Onto My Couch
#40 Pattern On This Tree Stump Looks Kinda Like The “Starry Night” Painting
#41 This Smudge On My Glasses Looks Like A Mountain
#42 The Way The Paint Dried In This Old Bottle Looks Like A Tidal Wave
#43 The Way This Glass Shattered
#44 Fireworks Reflection Off My Car
#45 This Happened When I Went To Spread Margarine On My Toast
#46 I Accidentally Left A Bowl Of Beet Juice On The Counter And The Top Layer Rippled
#47 Accidental Art: Water, Chalk, LEGO Dried On A Table
#48 Our Paint Can Broke Last Night And Dried In A Really Fun Way
#49 My Suction-Packed Embroidery Thread Looks Like A Modern Art Piece
#50 I Inadvertently Made A Duck While Tinting Paint At Work
