Art Essay Examples and Topics

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2,014 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.

2013 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

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

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

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

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

“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

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 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

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

“Seated Couple”: A Dogon Art Piece Analysis

The dark brown-black shades used in the figure represent the typical color choices of the selected period. The "Seated Couple" figure by a Dogon artist represents the selected period through its color, medium, and emotion.
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 553

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

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

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

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 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

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

Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

There was also a distinction in age of the painters whereby, impressionism painters were generally older as compared to post impressionism painters.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 831

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

“Gettin’ Religion” by Archibald Motley Jr. Analysis

The guiding lines are the instruments, and the line of sight of the characters, convening at the man. He accomplishes the illusion of space by overlapping characters in the foreground with the house in the [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 828

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Should the Government Fund the Arts?

Since the arts play a big role in the society the government has a moral responsibility to fund the arts as they are primarily unsustainable when exposed to open market forces, art is a necessity [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1149

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

“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

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

Impressionism in Music and Art

The natural light appears in a variety of types which gives the impressionist artist much freedom to alter the details of the objects in the painting using the natural light in different types.
  • 4.3
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2018

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

Artwork: Content and Physical Nature

The exhibitions that the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden holds aim to attract the attention of the audience to pressing issues, and the features of the artwork in question reflect Kruger's creative personality.
  • Subjects: Art Exhibitions
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 800

“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

The Artwork “The Virgin Mary” by Chris Ofili

Through the use of one of the most archetypical images of a woman in Western culture that of the Virgin Mary the painting discusses the questions of universal femininity.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 448

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

Photography Comparison and Contrast

The focus on the naked parts of the body, like dirty and scratched hands, necks, and faces, allows for learning about the terror and horror of that period. In my photo, the style differs due [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1202

Masaccio’s Holy Trinity: Analysis of Visual Rhetoric

It is necessary to outline that his work presents a great interest due to the number of reasons: it was one of the first frescos to contain features of realism and humanism, the work poses [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1143

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

Yue Minjun’s Self-Portraits As Modern Art

This paper will try to present the aesthetic as well as commercial interpretation of artist Yue Min Jun as an artist, in the eyes of a westerner but with the consideration of personal history and [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2604

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

“Barbie Dolls” Image by Chris Jordan

However, the image passes the test, and, consequently delivers its intended message, which is to portray the "nudity" of the modern people in various activities that they undertake each passing day.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 561

Modern Art: Condensation Cube by Hans Haacke

Thus, obviously being the bright example of the modern art, Condensation Cube helps to author to introduce several questions which are interesting to him and raise the question of the relations between art and science [...]
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1389

The Renaissance Theatre Development

The most important influence of the Protestant Reformation on English Renaissance Drama was the rejection of pastoral features of medieval drama.
  • Subjects: Theater
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 584

“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

Modern and Postmodern Art Scene in Malaysia

Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to research modern art and postmodern art in Malaysia's art scene in light of the change in art throughout the Industrial Revolution.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 35
  • Words: 8389

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

Is Graffiti Vandalism or Art?

The first questionable characteristic is the history of graffiti, and associated with the street gang culture of New York in the 70s.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 576

The Statue of Augustus August From Prima Porta

Simplicity and clearness of construction, the aspiration for generalization, the idealization of the appearance, and at the same time, the strict Roman individualism of the characters are the leading attributes of the portraits of the [...]
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 544

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

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

The Agony in the Garden by El Greco

His important works include: The Disrobing of Christ; The Burial of Count Orgaz; The Agony in the Garden; View of Toledo and Laocoon.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1672

”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

Prometheus Bound by Peter Paul Rubens

In creating the art, Rubens ensured that the major theme of the painting is shown through the boundary that separated the other parts of the cliff and the fire.
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1651

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

The Art Piece “The Sacred Heart” by Damien Hirst

The questions prompted by the observations of the "Secret Heart" are some of the many that follow from Damien Hirst's indictment of religion as viable means of ascribing meaning to human experience.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 840

Pectoral and Necklace of Sithathoryunet

Thus, the zigzag lines at the base of the pectoral represent primordial waters, which refers to the importance of the royal figure and the concept of eternity.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 242
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