Art Essay Examples and Topics

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2,030 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.

2029 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

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

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

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

“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

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

Bruegel’s “Children’s Games”

Bruegel's paintings portrayed the life of peasants during that time.'The Children's Games' and 'Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird Trap' are some of the most famous paintings of the artist.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2854

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

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

Mid-Century Modern Design

However, the key focus of the style is the combination of function and a unique design that is appealing to the eye.
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 293

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

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

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

Art and Aesthetics: Art in Public Space

Public art is important to public art specialists, bodies that commission art performances, curators as well as the entire art world with much emphasis being given to collaborations, the specificity of the site of performance [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2199

The Statue of Liberty: A Timeless Symbol of Freedom and Hope

With a long and intricate history intertwined with the origin of the United States, the monument represented the French people's dedication to the cause of liberty during the American Revolution. The Statue of Liberty is [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 557

Picture Observations and Their Meaning

The picture shows the sun shining on the grass at an angle while the sky is clear, indicating that the photographer took the picture in the morning.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1105

“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

Gheorghe Virtosu and Abstract Art Movement

Virtosu's contribution to painting art has received significant recognition, given his unique approach to the application of abstract art as a form of expression. Secondly, the "Connections of civilization" painting reveals Virtosu's consistency in the [...]
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 610

Totalitarian Regimes and Their Influence on Art

Therefore, it is not simply a coincidence that the existence of totalitarian political regimes in the 20th century had not only resulted in the political power of art is significantly increased, but also in providing [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 2077

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

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

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres: Paintings Style

In order to discuss the style of Ingres, one should look at the difference between his earlier and later works because this comparison can throw light on the evolution of his style.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1135

“Notes on Camp” by Susan Sontag

Also, Sontag had proven herself analytical enough to realize that the very concept of Camp is nothing but the modern equivalent of the concept of dandyism, originated in late 19th century: "Camp is the answer [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1669

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

Visual Narrative of Art Spiegelman’s “Maus”

Secondly, as mentioned above, there are two timelines in the novel, the first of which takes place in the present relative to the author of the time, and the second is the memories of one [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1228

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

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

Printmaking in Art: Characteristics and Examples

Printmaking has given artists a distinctive and adaptable method to create images on a variety of surfaces, from woodcuts and etchings to screen printing and lithography.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 449

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

“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

Alice Gerstenberg’s Overtones Review

This new technique along with the publications of Sigmund Freud who was on a trip to New York at the time of the productions spread interest in the use of the unconscious mind. She is [...]
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1485

Ray Beldner Artistic Works

This reproduction is the allusion of the painting by Rene Magritte This is not a Pipe, which is the typical example of the representative art.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 636

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

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

John Berger’s Ways of Seeing Things

On the other hand, Berger sees value in the actual picture because it is silent and contains traces of the painter's deeds, creating a connectedness between the artist and the viewer.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 396

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

Crafts and Fine Arts.

Moreover, to explain the vaguely difference between them, one may give the example of the art work that may be assigned to the both categories: either to the crafts or to the fine art.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

“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

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

Italian Sculptures of 16th Century

The literal meaning of Arethusa is "the waterer" and the tale on which this sculpture of Alpheus and Arethusa is based, has its origin in a river.
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1668

Jackson Pollock`s Action Painting “Number 1, 1949“

His tutor Benton taught him how to analyze paintings as well as the fundamentals of drawing and composition and the teacher's influence was clearly visible in Pollock's early paintings of the realistic portrayal of life [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1668

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

Cindy Sherman’s Adaptation of Fornarina

In Sherman's interpretation, Bacchus has most of the external features of the original, but the details alter the painting's context. The gaze of Bacchus in Sherman's painting is less ambiguous than in the original.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 308

Botticelli’s and Doré’s Illustrations to Dante’s Inferno

Though both artists are exceptionally talented and their works are among the most praised, Dante would probably prefer Dore's illustration of the literary masterpiece. The works have certain sharpness, the play of light, and emotion, [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 310

Albert Namatjira: Teaching Activities and Methods

Nearby was the Lutheran mission of Hermannsburg, where the tribespeople of Namatjira often visited to earn extra money and, at the same time, listen to the priests' sermons.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2037

Difference Between Art and Useful Objects

On the other hand, art is mainly defined by the expression and application of creativity and imagination. The goal of making a piece of art is to create something beautiful to look at, to represent [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 286

Syncretism in The Mosaic of Christ As the Sun

In the mosaic of Christ as the sun god, the beliefs of both early Christians and pagans are combined. In early Christian art, the image depicts Christ as the sun god pulled by a chariot [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 272

Abstract Art In The Early 20th Century

The abstract art's primary aim is to use gestural marks, shapes, forms, and colors to achieve the effects of a visual reality rather than representing its actual depiction. As a result, they chose to express [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 338

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

“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

Chapters 7-9 in “Understanding Comics” by McCloud

Despite the strict logical organization of the stages from the basic understanding of purpose to sharpening the specific skills related to the form of art, the author claims that many artists tend to learn these [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 877

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

Pottery and its Role in the Lives of People

Pottery could have even developed from the process of wrapping foods in a skin of clay and placing them in the embers of a fire or on heated rocks to cook.
  • Subjects: Pottery
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2711

Nudity in the Paintings of the Renaissance

One of the most famous female nudes in the history of art was the Spanish painting called 'The Nude Maja' done by Francisco Goya. Thus, the artists of the Renaissance brought about the rise of [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1355

Cezanne’s Sense of Color

The purpose of this paper is to analyze some of Cezanne's paintings with an aim of describing his sense of color in painting.
  • 4
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2053

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

Giotto as the First Renaissance Painter

Behind Italian Renaissance was a great painter and architect, Giotto di Bondone, who existed in the 13th and 14th century."The Renaissance was a period of artistic and cultural achievement in Europe from the fourteenth to [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2741

A Change in Art Style After World War II

After the end of World War II, the people of Europe were traumatized by the atrocities that were committed and the devastation that many cities were subjected to.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 587

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

Aspects of Graffiti as Art Therapy

According to the psychological perspective when reviewing the art of graffiti, it has helped relieve stress, and tension and brings joy to the people in the community.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 524

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

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

Art and Printmaking. Contemporary Art

These types of printmaking have differences relative to the nature of the surface, which creates or forms the print that is to be transferred onto a fabric or paper.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 968

Image Analysis of “American Progress” by John Gast

The telegraph cable that the woman is stretching across the continent, the book in her hand, the trains and the ships, and the bridge on the right everything is empathizing the progress of the European [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 553
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