Art Essay Examples and Topics

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1,972 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.

1969 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Painting: “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”

In the far distant center of the painting, is a mountain, still and motionless, in contrast to the dynamic furious sea wave. The shape and size of the wave create the imagery of force in [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 841

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

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

Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in Photography

The audience's personal experiences affects its interpretation of what the picture depicts, it might be close to the communication the photographer had wished to convey or a totally different perspective.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1180

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

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

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

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

“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

To be or not to be

Branagh's Hamlet is a version that sets the "to be or not to be" scene in a palace, in a room surrounded by mirrors.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 861

The “Kisses from Berlin” Photo by Regis Bossu

The image was portrayed on the Berlin Wall as the symbol of protest and the end of the Cold War. Regarding the context of the photo, the fraternal kiss was a form of greeting between [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 944

The Painting St. John the Baptist by Leonardo Da Vinci

The whole construct of this painting is maintained in the nature of Renaissance and glory of antique art. The frontal element of the whole performance is concentrated on the hand of the man.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 854

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

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

Main Points in the Article and Video by Hito Steyerl

Douglas writes about one of the pillars of the visual culture of the Internet memes: "Internet memes are based on the ideals of non-market network solidarity and free the work from the need to be [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1395

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

Kagana Mask’s History, Origin, and Function

Further, the deeper literal interpretation of the Kanaga mask pertains to god, and the arrangement of the earth. Kanaga masks are worn by Malian Dogon dancers and are related to funerary rites to honor the [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 996

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

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

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

“Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh

The cultural influence on the theme and manner of the work The Starry Night presented by the author can be evaluated through the complicated world look of its nature. The exaggeration of the drawing lines [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1555

Jackson Pollock’s “Convergence” Painting

Jackson Pollock mastered this technique and while such paintings look like a mess of colors, careful inspection reveals that the paintings have very intricate patterns that put a living form for the painting.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 561

Michelangelo’s Madonna of the Stairs

The sculpture is important from a historical perspective because it helps the beholder to grasp the enormity of Michelangelo's genius as well as his unique approach to the canons of Christian iconography.
  • 4
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1728

Art Period Comparison: Classicism and Middle Age

Classical and medieval periods of art demonstrate the power of the idea to continue traditions such as teach people and share the basics of life on the one hand, and the necessity to react to [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1168

Salvador Dali: Surrealist Self-Portrait

His self-portraits can be seen as a unique part of his heritage reflecting ideas of personal self and self-identity, perception of the world and his genius.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1374

The Shaka Triad Sculpture

The sculpture of the Shaka triad has a mandorla, which has an inscription providing a piece of essential information about the date, the author, donors, and the circumstances in which the statue was created.
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 530

Modern Age: Deconstructivism vs. Modernism

In the course of their evolution people obtained new values that impacted their vision of the world and resulted in the appearance of new ideals of beauty.
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2522

The Connection of History and Photography

Overall, photography falls under the visual sources of chronological data that historians can use to understand and write about recorded events.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1130

“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

“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

Timothy Hogan’s Photography

Taking into consideration the infinite backing from the greatest producers, retouchers, and workshops in the professional photography niche, it is quite reasonable that Hogan and his team managed to furnace the lifelong contacts that provide [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 555

Photography as a Mass Medium

To demonstrate this fact, the study explores the works of Sontag in her article titled, On Photography, and shows how digital photography changes her analysis about the "photographic way of seeing" life.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1743

Melodrama in Realism and Naturalism

French artists coined the term melodrama to refer to plays with exaggerated plots and actors with the purpose of touching the emotions of the audience.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 637

Art and Design Analysis

The drawings are purely handmade and they show that the artist spent a lot of time to come up with these drawings. There is a clear evidence of thinking in the mind of the art [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 606

Parsons Challenge Visual Art

The initial stage of the creative process is the identification of the problem or the definition of the goal of creation.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 648

Sports Photography and Its Evolution

The death of Niepce was announced in 1833, but the experiment was still been performed by Daguerre and he succeeded in the development of the daguerreotype finally in 1837.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2319

Restoration Period and Drama in England

The period of restoration in England not only marked the beginning of the shift in the life of the kingdom in a social and political context, but it also established the beginning of a cultural [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1899

Gallery of Joy: Chagall, Kandinsky, and Miro

They handled color quite differently, and their methods of creating shapes and shadows are unique to each artist to the point that each artist's work is easily identified from its unique treatment of the shape [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1434

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

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

Photos of Vietnam War

The role of the media in the Vietnam War also raises issues of what the media ought to censor and report to the public.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 15
  • Words: 4146

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

Analysis of “The Falling Man”

The theme of the article was unified by the photograph of the falling man which branched out to several stories surrounding it.the story of the photographer who took the picture, the story of the family [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1306

The “Self-Portrait” Painting by Tamara de Lempicka

It is stated that Tamara's self-portrait appeared in the next edition of a prestigious German fashion magazine after the editor was moved by the sight of her exiting her automobile in front of a five-star [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 641

Art of Ancient Greece: The Diadoumenos Statue

The marble statue of the Diadoumenos depicts an athlete with a victory armband and is a reconstruction of the original based on Roman marble spears. Polykleitos' sculpture is a typical example of the classical period [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 336

Gustave Moreau’s Painting Jupiter and Semele

Moreau's work depicts this tragic plot and indicates the theme of the difference between humans and the divine by portraying Jupiter and Semele on the border of heaven and the underworld.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 829

Paintings by Ingres and Picasso Comparison

Portrait is a special genre the task of which is to transfer with the help of artistic means, the inner world of a personality, and their abilities.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1188

Scenes From the Play “Amadeus” by Peter Schaeffer

I chose Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Katherina Cavalier as the most important characters of the play. He really killed Mozart, and it was not the poison, it was all the evil Salieri had [...]
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 836

Chapter 2 in “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud

The second chapter of Scott McCloud's book "Understanding Comics" is devoted to the vocabulary of comics and all that the reader perceives when looking at the inscriptions in illustrated publications and what he concludes.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 316

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

The History of War Photography

The purpose of this report is to identify basic trends in the development of war photography and determine the conceptual, stylistic, and technical changes observed in the course of its formation.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2235

“References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot” by Rivera

These are: "Why does the author of the play depict Gabriella either nude or in some light bed-like clothes?", "How does the clothing style reflect Gabriella's feelings?", "How do the costumes of Gabriella relate to [...]
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1111

Arabic Calligraphy and Contemporary Artists

Arabic calligraphy is a form of art involving the use of the Arabic language and alphabet. In the old town of Jeddah, for instance, artists have blended Arabic calligraphy with graffiti to create calligraffiti.
  • 3
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2213

Naji al-Ali, a Palestinian Cartoonist and His Art

The open and fearless criticism of the political affairs of the particular state is always a risk for the author. Naji Al-Ali was a prominent Palestinian cartoonist famous for his criticism of the political situation [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3010

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

Trodden Weed

The lighting of the painting, which appears to have been well thought-out, indicates that the walk was happening in the afternoon.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 834

La Grande Odalisque by Ingres analysis

The subject matter of the painting is the odalisque, a concubine of a rich man in the East. Wallowing in luxury and waiting for her master to come is the only sense of her life.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1112

Admiration by William Adolphe Bouguereau

The center of interest in the painting, emphasized by the color contrasts, is definitely the central group of five young women, reaching out for a yet more important figure of a boy in the center [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 584
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