The 'This Is Not a Pipe' parody is based on the 1929 painting 'The Treachery of Images' by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte. The original artwork features a realistic depiction of a pipe with the French caption 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' written underneath, highlighting the gap between representation and reality. In the digital age, this concept has evolved into a popular meme format used to point out irony, meta-humor, or technicalities. Users replace the pipe with modern objects—ranging from video game controllers to political figures—maintaining the ironic denial to create intellectual or absurd humor. It remains a staple for those looking to blend high-brow art history with internet subculture.