Eastman Johnson, 2025

This scene might look like your average coffee shop scroll-a-thon—but what you’re actually seeing is a modern genre painting in the style of one of America’s greatest 19th-century artists.

Eastman Johnson was known for his realistic depictions of everyday life, often portraying domestic scenes, rural labor, and moments of quiet humanity. He was deeply influenced by 17th-century Dutch and Flemish masters, especially in his use of chiaroscuro—dramatic light and shadow—which you can see echoing in this image.

Here, that timeless technique is applied to a very current setting: glowing phones, cold brew, and a man who looks like he’s drafting the Declaration of Independence on a MacBook. Johnson believed in capturing people as individuals, not stereotypes—and you can feel that here, even as everyone’s collectively ignoring each other.

It’s a perfect collision of old-world technique and new-world tech. If Johnson were alive today, he wouldn’t be painting fields—he’d be painting feeds.

Oh—and fun fact: he co-founded the Met Museum, so if your cappuccino ever feels museum-worthy, now you know who to thank.