Art Essay Examples and Topics

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2,000 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.

1999 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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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

Magical Realism as a Literary Genre

The concept of loreal Maravillas was introduced in 1949 to the Americans where the foundations of magical realism were traced from the art world.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1098

Ancient Greek Art and Sculpture

It is possible to trace this change through examining two sculptures pertaining to different periods of Ancient Greek art. Of course, to understand art, it is necessary to understand the epoch.
  • Subjects: Visual Arts
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

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

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

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

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 Realism in Art Movement

The paintings of authors representing the movement of realism are extremely vivid and are likely to create an impression of presence in the painting while observing it.
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 844

Donatello as the Greatest Sculptor of His Time

Due to the fact the Renaissance was marked with the return to the natural ancient forms of representing humans, one of the most famous and antiquity oriented works of Donatello is the statue of David.
  • Subjects: Sculpture
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1283

Contemporary Art Practices Essay

Speaking about contemporary art, people usually mean the objects of art and artistic techniques that began to be used in the middle of the twentieth century.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 2962

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

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

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

Jungle Fun by Sophie Harding

If the print seems like it is out of a colorful children's book, it is because the unique artist creates imagery that is commonly used in illustrations and decorations for that age group.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 839

Baroque and Rococo: Different Styles and Their Purposes

An example of such a confrontation could be found between the adepts of two different art styles that were prevalent in the 18th century Baroque and Rococo. Gerome is a classic example of Baroque style [...]
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 568

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 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

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

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

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

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

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 Son of Man” Painting by Rene Magritte

This picture made me interested in what was depicted in it from the first sight because its composition was attractive due to the wide range of shades and the scenery that can never be witnessed [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 568

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

The Great Exhibition of 1851

The main of them had to do with the ideas of: The presumed natural dominance of the West over the rest of the world.
  • Subjects: Art Exhibitions
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1407

”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

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

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

The Farm by Joan Miró: Analysis

The photographic accuracy of the depicted landscape is unimportant, so the artist focuses on individual details, such as footprints on the path, stones in the right corner of the picture, and cracks in the house.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 156

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

Death of Socrates, Painting Analysis

The setting of the painting is a prison that has arches on the window and an arch in the hallway. On the right-hand side of the painting, the orange tunic echoes the red and yellow [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1211

Invention of Photography and Its Social Impact

Although photography was invented in its full form only in 1835, an understanding of the social impact that was a result of the invention of photography is rightly portrayed by Azoulay in his article "The [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1916

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
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