So my cousin kept bugging me about how boring art history is, right? Like, who cares about some old painters? But then I saw a TikTok saying you can learn 16 Renaissance artists super easy. Figured I’d try it myself. Here’s exactly how it went down.
Step 1: Grabbed Random Stuff Around Me
Started by dumpin’ 16 sticky notes on my kitchen table. Scratched each artist’s name on one – Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, you know the big shots. Tossed ‘em in an empty cereal box like lottery tickets.
Step 2: The Cringe Memory Game
Pulled one sticky: Raphael. Googled “Raphael easy fact”. Read he painted chubby baby angels. Drew a terrible stick-figure cherub on the back. Did this for all 16. Took forever and my drawings sucked. Legit almost quit.
Step 3: Making Silly Groups
Saw some artists kept poppin’ up together. Made dumb piles:
- Angry Sculpture Dudes: Michelangelo (grumpy marble guy), Donatello (weird David statue)
- Mysterious Smile Gang: Da Vinci (obviously), Titian (that lady holding a furry rat?)
- Super Religious Bros: Fra Angelico (monk painter), Giotto (church wall guy)
Step 4: Annoying My Partner With Facts
While watchin’ TV, I’d suddenly go, “Hey, guess who invented oil painting? Jan van Eyck!” Got eye rolls. For Caravaggio, I shouted, “This dude murdered a guy!” Sticking those wild stories helped big time.
Step 5: Actually Trying to Remember Tomorrow
Next mornin’, grabbed coffee and stared at the messy sticky piles. Surprise: Remembered Botticelli ‘cause I drew a naked lady on a seashell badly. Forgot half the names though. Felt dumb.
Step 6: Cheat Sheet Scam
Flipped all stickies over. Used my awful drawings & group names as clues. Messed up Masaccio & Mantegna twice. Kept repeating “Masaccio died young, Mantegna liked weird camera angles”.
Step 7: Victory (Mostly)
After three days of bathroom-flashcard reviews and harassing my cat with facts about Tintoretto, I could finally list ‘em all while walkin’ to the store. Still mix up Bellini and Bronzino sometimes, but hey!
Big Takeaway? Groupin’ ‘em by dumb themes + forcing myself to say stupid facts out loud made the names stick. No fancy books needed – just messy handwriting, bad doodles, and annoying everyone around you.
