Art Essay Examples and Topics

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2,036 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.

2036 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

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

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 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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

The Classical Period of Greek Art

According to the myth, Leda is the daughter of the Aetolian king Festia and the wife of the Spartan king Tyndareus.
  • Subjects: History of Art
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 614

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

Netherlands’ Flower Paintings in 17th Century

The main reason for making these depictions in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities was to provide a cheaper way of having flowers in people's homes. The first still life paintings in 17th century were flowers [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 831

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

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

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

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

Romanticism: Paintings by Francisco Goya

The first painting depicted a nude woman in the Western art and the second painting was painted after controversial thoughts from the Spanish society over the meaning of The Nude Maja.
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 663

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

Emma Watson: Individual Influence within Society

After a decade's commitment to the Harry Potter series and featuring in famous films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Beauty and the Beast, etc, she has transformed into a popular adult model and [...]
  • Subjects: Artists
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1720

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

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

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

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

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

Anti-War Statement in Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica”

Despite the fact that the bombing of the town was Picasso's major motive for creation Guernica, in the painting, there are no scenes of bombing, no explosions, and no direct images of the ravages of [...]
  • Subjects: Paintings
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1191

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Niobid Krater Art Peculiarities

Besides that, the contrasting colors of the krater with the stark black background and the orange-gold hues of the figures. Because there are different scenes depicted on the krater, such as the death of children [...]
  • Subjects: Pottery
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 232

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

Muthesius-Van de Velde: Werkbund Theses and Antithesis

The debate highlights the contrast between the individuality within Arts and Crafts movement and the aim at standardization and a universal taste suitable for the increasing industrial production.
  • Subjects: Art Movement
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 225

Photography: An Artist Statement

In the first image, I arranged the details in the composition to guide the observer through the place I captured by the camera. With the help of the play of the light and shadow, I [...]
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 883

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

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

Personal Interest in Photography

Most of Cotton's photographs were devoted to the exploration of the serenity and beauty in the natural world, as can be seen in the photographs below.
  • Subjects: Photography
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1189
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