Art Essay Examples and Topics

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1,911 samples

If you are studying art, chances are that you will have to write a lot of essays during your time in school or college. To receive an excellent grade on them, it is essential that you learn how to write an art essay. Here are the top tips for writing essays on art:

Choose a subject that is interesting to you. For example, if you are interested in graphic art, focus on it in your essay. If you are not sure of what to write about, try searching art essay topics online and choose the one you like most.

Look for sample papers on the topic. If you want to write about a particular movie, look for a film analysis example featuring it. Using this tip, you will be able to get some ideas and add more depth to your writing.

Find relevant scholarly sources. You can search Google Scholar or your school’s library for high-quality articles and books on the subject. Instead of merely citing the information from sources, try to offer some critique. Are the views shared by the author supported by other scholars? Do you agree with their evaluation and why?

Include a personal response. Many forms of art are subject to personal interpretation, and some tutors want their students’ essays to be expressive. This means that you should share your views on the topic and explain why you think the way you do. Doing so will help you to show your understanding of the topic and earn you some extra marks.

Hopefully, these tips will help you to earn an A on your art and design essays! You can explore our site for free essay samples and topics.

1911 Best Essay Examples on Art

The History of Elizabethan Drama Era

The early Elizabethan dramas were not performed in permanent theaters. In most cases, traveling troupes performed these plays in the courtyards.
  • 4
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1009

Mona Lisa’s Elements and Principles of Art

The image involves a half-body portrait of a woman, and the enigmatic smile of the lady reflects the artist's idea of the connection between nature and humanity.
  • 1
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 590

Arguments for Graffiti as Art

Given the comprehensive nature of art and the time and care necessary to produce a piece of graffiti, it should be considered a form of art.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 850

Greek and Roman Theatre Differences

The design was further involved in the seat arrangement that ensured that the actors were clearly heard by the people on the uppermost semicircular bench of the theater.
  • 1.8
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1124

Photograph Description: Nature

The photograph reflects a marvelous landscape combining the elements of human interference in the form of buildings; it is necessary to underline the fact that the picture is to be referred to as representational [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 465

Art Appreciation

The works of Art in the Ancient culture were of various forms which included architecture, sculpture, and graphic arts. Architecture and sculpture are the oldest forms of art that existed and still exist in the [...]
  • 4.3
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 676

Graffiti and History of Street Art

Statues of antiquity and great canvas of the New Age and many other works appeared due to the set of reasons which made this very kind of art the main characteristic of the epoch.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1940

Art in “Who the Fuck Is Jackson Pollock?” Documentary

Simultaneously, the works of renowned artists increasingly became a property of the art elites, a group of individuals who decide the worthiness of a piece of artwork based on their knowledge and recognition of the [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 638

Why Was the Globe Theatre Important to Shakespeare?

The role of the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's life is significant because the possibility to participate in the theatre's The Lord Chamberlain's Men Group and to write plays for the theatre's performances contributed to the [...]
  • 3.8
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1089

Comparison of Indian and Chinese Art

Brief History of Indian Art The history of Indian art is said to be as old as the Indus Valley civilization itself where each period in history has provided the nation with unique modes of [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1675

“The Tragedy” by Pablo Picasso

An impression of three people at a beach on the sea creates an open form, and the artist used blue colour to indicate the beach and the sea. Contour lines bring out the shape of [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 613

Biographical Profile of Jamaal Barber

Notably, he won the JOSA Award of Excellence in Drawing in 2002 and got first place in the graphic design competition of the Rebel Magazine.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1702

Exhibition Review

The photographs on the exhibition are all from the permanent section of the museum. The unifying factor in the photographs on this exhibition is the use of Photoshop software in enhancing their appeal.
  • Subjects: Art Exhibitions
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 818

Photos in “12 Million Black Voices” by Richard Wright

It is clear that the author believes that African Americans are victims of the development of the US society. However, 'the Lords of the Land' had the necessary mechanisms to suppress the revolts and make [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1394

Nudity vs. Pornography When Used in Artwork

Nude art forms date back to the ancient Greeks who had the utmost respect for the sanctity that is the human body even though the same cannot be said in the present day where artists [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 752

Mona Lisa and the Last Supper Paintings

The naming of Mona Lisa and the Last Supper paintings is based on the themes represented in the paintings and situations at the time.
  • 4.2
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1674

Comparison and Contrast of Art History

Daniel Strobel, Jr.and Her Son, George is one from the pair of neoclassical portraits of the Strobel family Daniel Strobel, the American Diplomat in France, and his wife, Anna Church, the daughter of the first [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1401

Monet’s and van Gogh’s Paintings Comparison

Impressionists showed the development of the urban environment at the end of the 19th century. Monet was the representative of impressionism, whereas van Gogh represented post-impressionism.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 896

From Modernism to Postmodernism

The desire to move out of the era of modernism to postmodernism was desirable. The change of modernism to postmodernism is an evolution of traditional believes and practices to a modern way of thinking.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 881

The Play “Fifth of July” by Lanford Wilson

The rebirth can be connected to the launch of new events in the lives of the characters. Shirley, being the youngest in the Talley's in the play, is seen the progression factor of the Talley's [...]
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 925

The Rent Broadway Musical’s Analysis

This is a musical, and the type of performance is an ensemble since the majority of songs are performed by a group of actors, although there are several solo performances as well.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 562

Leonardo Da Vinci and Galileo Galilei: Art and Science

From the art, Leonardo described the wakes' tricky nature and the vertical up-welling of water in the paths. The case of Galileo is similar to that of Leonardo in terms of influence as art-informed science.
  • 4
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 282

Picasso’s Painting “Guernica”

Guernica is a painting by an influential 20th-century artist, Pablo Picasso, that was created in 1937 in response to the bombing of the city of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 582

Public Art: “Balloon Flower (Red)” by Jeff Koons

Still, Koons's sculpture can be discussed as a good and influential piece of public art because it not only catches the public attention, but it is also discussed as attractive due to the fact the [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1696

Two of Shakespeare’s Sonnets (18 and 55) Analysis

In Shakespeare's sonnets, human perfectibility and love of praise occupy a prominent place, making the great poet's ideals the exemplifications of the themes of Renaissance humanism.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 631

Formal Analysis: Empress Theodora and Her Attendants

The focal point of the composition is the figure of the empress, highlighted through color and light. The mosaic 'Empress Theodora and Her Attendants' provides a glaring example of how formal elements of design work [...]
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 611

”Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer

Following is a depiction of the painting: This painting was chosen because the innocence on the face of the girl can be related to one's self and moreover, the choice of colours that Vermeer has [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 630

The Starry Night by Van Gogh

Different colors represent different emotions and feelings in a work of art such as a painting; perhaps one of the most important facts in the use of color is the ability to actively involve the [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1166

“Understanding Art” by Lois Fichner-Rathus

Though the two works differ in the color gamut used and in the forms and directions of the lines resorted to, in both cases the viewer is encouraged to answer various questions that one can [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 602

Visual Analysis: Untitled Film Still #21

Hence, the analysis of this piece is feasible from the perspective of demonstrating the importance of the sociological underpinning of cultural products and the way visual techniques are used for transmitting the message.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1414

Michelangelo’s Life and Work

Due to his immense skills and wide collection of artistic works, early museums documented his works and as it turns out, he was the most famous artist of the 16th century.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 610

Positive Impact of Islamic Art on Society

Its impact of social and cultural development of the Islamic World and other cultures can be considered to be positive because it has introduced uniqueness, originality, and unity of Islamic culture, architecture, media and politics.
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 832

“The Two Fridas” painting analysis

The mirror-reflexion of the two Fridas constitutes the foreground of the painting. The two figures on the picture are being either linked in the inner world, which is being illustrated by the unity of the [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1099

Art History: Female Figures in Ancient Greek Sculpture

The development of female figures in ancient Greek sculpture was noticeable during those times; each period added something new; the influence of other countries and their cultures was reflected in almost each piece of work, [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1031

Franz Kafka’s and Vincent van Gogh’s Connection

Although van Gogh and Kafka realized their creative intentions in different areas of art, they had the remarkable connection in terms of sharing problems in family relations; having problems in personal relations; struggling to find [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1475

Queen Latifah as a Hip-Hop Feminism Icon

The song was released in 1989 when the third wave was starting, and Latifah talks about the importance of women the society and the need for equal treatment and supporting each other.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1063

Drama Oedipus the King by Sophocles

The key aspects of Sophocles' play capture the learners' interest in the purpose of comedy and twist of fate. The theme of tragedy is illustrated in the play, Oedipus the King.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1104

Contemporary Graffiti as Political Art

Banksy's graffiti art work is still considered as one of the best way of protesting against the government in order to remove the CCTV cameras from the cities or to use those cameras in proper [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 826

Carlos Schwabe’s “The Death of the Gravedigger”

He also drew the image of "Death" in his masterpiece painting The Death of the Grave-Digger from her. The figures of the woman angel and the old man standing inside the grave are in the [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1214

The Renaissance Time During Romeo and Juliet

Men and women performed different roles in the household; the man was responsible for farming while the woman took care of the poultry and dairy. In the upper-class, marriages were arranged and the parents chose [...]
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 600

How Theater Was Used in the Soviet Union

The formation of the Soviet Union can be traced back in 1917 when the people got tired of the monarchy system which, was led by Czar Nicholas II.[1] In those times, most people in the [...]
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2173

The Role of Costumes in Play

In the given pictures from a play, the character's costume can help to deliver information to the reader through hints about their social hierarchy or wealth.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 599

Works of Art

The first part highlights more about the impressionism period's paintings, basic facts about the works, the personal philosophies of the artists, and art work in time context. The last painting has the main figures in [...]
  • 2
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1256

Discussion: Old Comedy and New Comedy

One of the most famous representatives of New Comedy was the playwright Menander, whose plays, such as "The Twin Brothers" and "The Girl from Samos," are known for their focus on everyday life and their [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 609

An Analysis of a Photograph By Mike Wells

This spread of technology-enabled many people to document the environment around them and allowed millions of people to relate to stories of others told through photographs."A Starving Boy and a Missionary" is one of the [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

“Into Bondage” a Picture by Aaron Douglas

Aaron Douglas was a bright representative of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement that appeared in the first half of the 20th century and was aimed at attracting public attention to problems of African American people [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1413

History of Art and Design

Styles such as still life painting advanced from the use of pencils in the past to the use of colors in the present.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1272

The Black Madonna of Breznichar

The prominence of the Black Madonna is majorly due to the miraculous character it poses to the pilgrims. Since the black Madonna is a representation of the Virgin Mary, there are people of Catholic denomination [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 863

The Painting “Rust Red Hill” by Georgia O’Keeffe

It is the artist's magnum opus, and it serves as a living testament to the vision and foresight of the museum's first director, Richard Brauer. This is supposed to be a picture of the outdoors.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 553

The Sphinx of King Taharqo Statue

Tace of the artifact is the Sudanese resemblance of the Tahsrqo, the black king, the fourth pharaoh to rule over the combined kingdoms of Kush and Egypt. The sphinx, as a whole, represents the fusion [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 575

Visual and Performance Arts in Creative Process

In painting, artists need to know how different paints convey messages and how to blend different paints to convey the desired artistic message. The Number of oil pigments used by artists depends on the desired [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1031

Steve McCurry’s Photographs

This approach has revealed the impacts of war on the lives of many people across the globe. McCurry had the opportunity to capture the portrait of a monk in Tibet.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1392

Analysis of the Play ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Another interesting scene of the production that makes it real understanding of the authors work is the casting of the romantic love between Romeo and Juliet, the physical love of the nurse and the contractual [...]
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Modern, Modernism, and Modernization

Modern, modernism, and modernization are the notions which may be easily defined in human mind, it means that one can understand what modern, modernism, and modernization mean, however, when it comes to formulation of the [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 565

Is Photography an Art and Why?

In brief, photography is an art since it uses a variety of human actions to create aural, visual, or performative artifacts that show the author's creativity or technical proficiency and are intended to be admired [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 561

Renaissance and Realism Art Periods

The paintings of the time alongside the artwork were presented mythically and also depicted the religious aspect. The presence of the monarchial administration helped most merchants to come up, something that led to the development [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1431

Frida Kahlo’s Paintings Analysis

Although the first painting is a symbolic self-portrait and the other one is a realistic portrait of a woman, both of these works strike the audience with the powerful depiction of the women's experience of [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1393

Modernism in Art and Painting

Paintings done in the past about the state of people and past society presently help to give direction to in the world of art.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 859

The Last Supper

The work depicted the scene of the last supper as illustrated in the Bible. The person in the center of the picture is Jesus Christ.
  • 2.3
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 466

Van Gogh’s Use of Color

The use of complementary colors, which became the signature of Van Gogh's style, helped to intensify the mutual effect of the color scheme in the paintings.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1412

“Hope II” by Gustav Klimt: Formal Analysis

The painting is called Hope II, which indicates that the artist wanted to emphasize not the doom and sadness of the death of a child but the hope of the women depicted in the painting.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 462

The Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja) Sculpture

In the sculpture, Shiva is dancing within a halo of flame, in his right hand holding the damaru, which is a hand drum that made the first sounds of creation, and the agni in his [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 229

Art and Literature Between the Two World Wars

The number of isms that made their appearance after the First World War in the field of art seemed to have their origins in the minds of those who had borne witness to the horrors [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 602

“Sculpture in the Expanded Field” by Rosalind Krauss

The major works that mark the transition from the classical to the modern period that she cites are Gates of Hell and the statue of Balzac by Rodin. In the 1950s, sculpture became a 'combination [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 205

The Body in Contemporary Art

Finally, the art of performance includes the human body in its motion; in this role, the body is viewed from a variety of angles and perspectives and in the combination with what is happening to [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1212

Drama: Staging “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell

In its turn, this explains why in Glaspell's play, the characters strive to act in the manner fully consistent with what used to be assumed accounts for the social roles of the representatives of each [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1700

The Theories of Theatre’s Origins

The play's inspiration was the Greek mythology a part of the Greek religion. The governing body of the city convened and decided whether to allow the staging of a Corpus Christi play.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1131

Jackson Pollock: Portrait and a Dream

The underlying concept of the painting appears to have been borrowed from the literal depiction of "self-portrait" and "the dream" where the "self-portrait" is assigned to the right hand side while "the dream" appears to [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1380

Lunch Atop a Skyscraper: Analysis

On the particular day when the photograph was taken, the workers decided to humor the photographer because of their excitement over completing the construction project.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 553

The Artwork “Pieta” by Michelangelo

The subject matter of Michelangelo's Pieta portrait is the body of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. This artwork is a picture of one of the seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary, as experienced [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 409

Celine Dion and Her Voice

What caught me most is the power of Dion's voice and the depth which she uses to guide the listener through the feelings she projects with the song.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 599

Photography Exhibition: Examples of the Works

This is an outstanding piece of art which made me, for instance, think of our world and humanity: first of all I thought about the perfection of the both, and then I passed to contemplations [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1137

3D Animation: Main Inspirations and Personal Experience

I have read that an understanding of the underlying story and a keen interest in storytelling is essential to build a good animation. This I have found that a number of institutes in the country [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 680

Ferdinand Hodler’s “The Chosen One” Painting

The boy is confronting the remnants of the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden, as is shown through the presence of the small snake and the walled 'garden' while the landscape behind him [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 961

“Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer)” by Claude Monet

The impressionist series depicting the same stack of hay is notable for the ability of Monet to repeat the same them but to capture different atmospheres, times of day, and times of the year.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 517

Inas El Degheidi’s Life History and Impact on Art

This paper makes a retrospective study on the life, background, and lifestyle of this filmmaker as well as her contributions to the advancements of performance arts and to the fight against gender discrimination and sexual [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2043

Italian and Dutch Renaissance Art Comparison

Masaccio's frescos were drawn on stone and had an emphasis on realism in accordance with the traditions of Renaissance, which sought the rebirth of art as it were in antiquity, particularly during the times of [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 594
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