Visual arts are the works of art we see with our eyes. It is a broad definition that includes a large number of disciplines and elements. From Wassily Kandinsky to Jackson Pollock, from sculptures and paintings to filmmaking and interior design – the term covers it all.
If you are writing an essay about visual arts, the chances are that you will find yourself a bit lost for words. After all, the subject matter may seem contradictory to the task at hand. However, there is no need to panic.
In this article, our experts have outlined the best way to write your very own visual arts essay step-by-step. You will see that your academic paper can be a work of art in itself. We have also included 19 outstanding visual arts essay topics from which you can choose.
Even a brief essay about visual arts can be overwhelming. It’s usually the case when you don’t know where to begin and how to organize your thoughts. That’s why creating an outline is so crucial. In this section, we have listed what can help you in writing your visual arts essay.
Try following these steps:
Choose your topic. Of course, it’s the most critical step for your paper. The idea you pick should be narrow enough for a detailed analysis. Yet, it should not prevent you from doing extensive research. Try browsing through visual arts essay collections. For example, check Bending Conceptsby Walter Benn Michaels et al. There, you can get ideas on what to write about.
Finding relevant art. Unsurprisingly, essays on visual arts require you to interact with the artwork. To offer proper art critique, you might want to conduct a visual analysis of your subject. Besides, it is a great idea to look into art history surrounding your topic. Figure out the context of the work and incorporate it into your paper.
Brainstorming. Jotting down all your feelings and ideas can be an excellent exercise. Everything that you think on the topic may come in handy. So, write down your thoughts about the style and technique of the artist, what message the work is trying to send, etc. When you’re done, make sure to look at your assessment criteria. Compare them to what you have thought of so far.
Grouping information. Here is where you might want to begin thinking of a thesis statement. Begin by grouping all the information you’ve gathered so far by themes. These will later become the foundation for the outline. Sort through all your findings and decide what ideas fit well with your topic. With this in mind, write down an excellent thesis by formulating your message in one sentence. Or our thesis generator can do that for you!
Writing the outline. Now that everything is organized, create a structure of your paper using your ideas and thesis. Begin by making an introduction to visual arts. Explain what you will be talking about in your essay. Your research and formal analysis go into the main body. Finally, your final reflection about visual arts should be left for the conclusion. This is where you get to sum up your interpretation of the work and what you see in it.
Browse through samples. Before you begin your essay writing, you might want to spend some time looking at examples. This can give you further ideas for your outline. Besides, good samples can inspire writing your very own visual arts essay. After all, art appreciation isn’t easy!
Whether you are writing a brief response piece or an entire extended essay, following these steps will improve the quality of your work. With enough practice, you will be composing visual arts essays with your eyes closed.
Visual Art Essay Topic
Still uncertain whether to write about Pablo Picasso or The Color Theory? Take a quick look at this list! Or allow our title generator to create an idea for you.
Here are 19 visual arts essay topics we have compiled just for you:
From painting to filmmaking: a brief history.
Leonardo da Vinci and the Golden Ratio.
Baya Mahieddine – the girl that inspired Picasso.
What do we mean by ‘contemporary art’?
Victorian beauty standards and their depiction in art.
How World War I gave birth to Dadaism.
The symbolism in Frida Kahlo’s paintings.
Cave paintings as very first artworks.
What is the difference between art and design?
Bollywood: how cinema evolved in India.
How the Edo period in Japan defined its arts and culture.
Salvador Dali’s influence on the surrealist movement.
Perpetuation of stereotypes in modern art.
Women in art: why are female artists often overlooked or forgotten.
Is graffiti a legitimate form of art?
The history and evolution of graphic novels.
Greek and Roman sculptures: similarities and differences.
Iconoclasm during the French revolution and its impact on art.
The evolution of Islamic Arts.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you will find inspiration among these visual arts topic ideas. Check out our visual arts essay examples that you will find below.
Featuring landscapes the work is representative of impressionism, although with an American take on it, focusing on the backgrounds, and the use of intermediary colors and shades in showing the effect of light on the [...]
Clarke limited the definition of modernism even further by his restriction of it to the facets of the Paris of Manet and the Impressionists, a place of leisure, pleasure, and excesses, and it seems that [...]
The combined impact of environmental devastation and the annihilation of indigenous peoples and cultures imbue Nicole Foran's 2008 collage with a haunting quality, and a tangible sense of guilt, thanks to her personal contribution to [...]
Why not decide that the world was as inanimate as the art-that the figure in the mirror was a corpse? Andy Warhol's Pop art both celebrated and lamented the culture and situation of his time.
In fact, the key aim of art criticism is to realize the nature of the work and try to understand the author's motives which originated the concept of the creation.
Thus, the works of art present the concept of the emperor as the embodiment of state and divine power, placing him below Christ in the hierarchy of power but above other influential personalities as, for [...]
It also refers to the art produced after the decay of Constantinople in the hands of the Ottoman Empire."So in a very broad sense it includes the art of Russia, Greece and other countries under [...]
The maphorion always was presumed to be the assurance for the Byzantine empires' security as its episode in the place of adoration of the Blachernai in the 5th century; by the 7th century the image [...]
This essay is devoted to the discussion of a question about the most convincing explanation for the replacement of the heads of the emperor, the empress, and Christ in the mosaic of Constantine IX in [...]
Though the artistic value of the graffiti remains questionable for most cultural experts, certain samples of spray-painting may be regarded the works of art in the context of the hip-hop culture.
The Japanese animation industry has significantly evolved to overcome most of the other animation industries in the world. The establishment of newspaper humorous strips and motion pictures in the west spurred the development of the [...]
Still, the past cannot be forgotten, as it is perpetuated in the deeds and feelings, which were brightly perceived in the novel Beloved by Morrison and in the art world of Kara Walker visualizing the [...]
Among the surviving pieces are numerous portraits of the Holy Virgin and Christ, such as: 'Mosaics of the Infancy of the Virgin', 'the Infancy of Christ', and 'the Ministry and Miracles of Christ'.
He used a pulley to hoist paper towels and made sure that they passed over the heads of the people who were in the hall as the audience. A and that is why his work [...]
Rapid changes in decorations have led to depreciation of the fruit of labour. It is imperative to tolerate ornaments only if they promote the pleasures of our fellowmen.
His beginning point was in the text as a system of signs, Allmer."A theory of semiotics" advanced by Eco disagrees with the theory that says; what symbols imply is dictated by the objects they refer [...]
The picture shown for the viewers is the end of one good story. She resembles two types of actions one is of motherhood and the other is of god-like actions in which she is ready [...]
We are going to analyze two masterpieces of art in our term paper: sculpture "Struggle of the Two Natures in Man" by George Grey Barnard and painting "The Death of Socrates" by Jacques-Louis David.
The mass of the marble sculpture appears to be shifted to the left, where Christ's body is located; but the seemingly broken symmetry of the sculpture is restored by the semantic accent placed to the [...]
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 [...]
Thesis statement: This study provides useful terminology and important understanding regarding the use of symbols such as the image, shape or suggestion of an apple in attempting to convey an idea.
According to reports, the artist was inspired to create the painting when he saw the farmhouse from the window of a car in his home state of Iowa."He decided to paint the house built in [...]
Out of these ideas grew the concept of earthwork art, heavily influenced by the ancient past, strongly associated with the divorce between the academic art of the gallery and the natural art of the time [...]
At the same time, the interrelation between the word and image and between the message and the form of the artistic works is rather important in the Chinese culture.
The name says it all as the sculpture is the image of a big man seated on the floor. Mueck explains this as being a serendipitous aspect of the piece as it reflects the model [...]
In a temporary post as a missionary in the village of Petit Wastes in Belgium, he recorded peasant miners' lives in his drawings. He was later exposed to Impressionist artists' works and became friends with [...]
Bush in the clothes of Roman emperor, standing on the tribune and playing harp so that the music he is making comes into the microphone. The style of the artwork is cartoon or caricature, due [...]
The art object chosen for this report is the painting titled "The Shadows of Katrina". After one of the exhibitions in the capital of Indonesia, the talent of a young artist was noticed by art [...]
The concept of writing in expanded sense also extends into visual arts where writing is considered as a verb referring to an activity in the world of arts or writing within arts.
Therefore, it can be asserted that one of the roles of art is to preserve the cultural trait and heritage of a community or society. This is both to the user of the artistic material [...]
The modern era brought in the renaissance period, Which was later brought up by Jules Mitchelete of Paris and Jacob Burckhardt of Basle and they go on to describe this period as the discovery of [...]
The Fleur de Lis is most recognized as the symbol for French Royalty or as a part of a coat of arms, used in many European countries, including England and Scotland.
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 [...]
Contrast helps in emphasis, variation, and addition of interest which enables the user to develop a certain feeling in the work of art. Harmony refers to the consistency of appearance in a work of art.
Here, the paper tries to discuss the evolution of painting and sculpture as important forms of Art, and the reason behind the consideration of painting as the second most classic form of art behind the [...]
With reference to Egyptian sculpture, this paper will try to compare and contrast the Portrait of a Man with the statue of Tutankhamun with regards to materials used, size, color, meanings behind the works, as [...]
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 [...]
The material Michelangelo uses contributes to the strength and realistic appearance of the sculpture as well and contributes to the meaning of the sculpture.
This piece of art was the result of the Environmental Workshop Class that Hamrol taught in CalArts, and the process of its creation involved his students and friends: "We spent the better part of the [...]
The main rule of making the poster, which is showiness, belongs to Cheret, as he stated that the attention in the poster should be emphasized on one detail, whether it is a person or a [...]
The public's interest in Tiffany's glassworks revived in the mid-fifties of the 20th. Tiffany occasionally splattered colors onto his windows to augment the effects of certain elements in the window's design.
Ice Sculpting is truly an art of its own, and even though this style of art is not permanent, unless a person were to place the item into the freezer, this would still be categorized [...]
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.
The design style is certainly appropriate to the communication, as it united the same ideas and the feelings of the different people concerning the heart of the United States of America, the New York City, [...]
They have indeed been a great influence in my interest to art and design and have greatly contributed to the economic growth, political and social enhancement of their nations.
Modernity in visual arts and cinema is part of the ever-changing world, wherein the establishment of ideas, different people in the world of art participates in experimenting with the forms and styles of art, thus [...]
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 [...]
However, with the advent of Christianity and the vilification of the female form, it became necessary to hide the woman's body, especially the 'grotesque' form of the pregnant woman.
However, with the advent of Christianity and the vilification of the female form, it became necessary to hide the woman's body, especially the 'grotesque' form of the pregnant woman.
That's the uniqueness of a painting compared to the other art forms. Apart from that, as the inquisitive person that I am, I find art to be very mysterious and fascinating.
Murray has argued that perspective allowed the illiterate and the literate to visualize a picture and created a pictorial space that unified the beholder with the image.
My theme is the arrangement of a geometric figure to symbolize the diversity of form and narration with pictures. Their work relates to my theme as they have explored the geometric and human forms and [...]
Art is one of the main forms of liberal arts which influences the perception of the world and understanding of its beauty, allows a person to adapt to the new environment, and develops critical thinking [...]
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 [...]
Arts of the antique world refers to the lots of types of art that were in the backgrounds of ancient societies, such as those of antique China, India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.
This effect is specifically beneficial for the artwork that depicts the horrifying picture of the ruins of a building that used to be a magnificent sight and a symbol of wealth and power.
Murals, as one of the major forms of revolutionary art, were popularized by the government of the country that promoted exterior frescoes in Mexico City and other cities of the country.
The city's "rich manufacturing heritage" was the focal point in the decision of the theme for the photographs. The photographs were taken as a part of the project for the company that Meiselas works for, [...]
The aluminum foil is attached to half of the page and represents that the artificial limb is attached to half of the usual limb, such as a lower leg prosthesis.
At the same time, when evaluating the object from the standpoint of conformity with Arab culture, it can be argued that the style and plot of the work largely convey the peculiarities of social organization.
The second image is a piece of Renaissance art entitled The Last Supper and created by Leonardo da Vinci in the 1490s. The postmodern piece questions the norms and conventions of the patriarchal society depicted [...]
The second image goes under the title "The Cave," and it appeared in the book The Republic by Plato that dates as far back as 380 B.C. Likewise, the man in the postmodern work is [...]
The lack of information about the Dogon traditions and philosophy is one of the key complexities associated with the definition of the role of the twin concept in the Dogon culture.
While line etching as a form of art has been around for quite sometime the distinctive style utilized by Spencer in this instance is unique in that the personally identifiable details of the subjects involved [...]
However, as the fascination of the view subsided and gave way to more constructive thinking it occurred to me that the artworks were somewhat polished, that the tint of the ingenuity, so precious and so [...]
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.
In particular, the artist heightens the role of scientific explorations in modern society by locating the basis of environmental politics in the origins of knowledge and history about nature.
They say that the work reflects the pop art of the USA. I would like to clarify that the type of an art movement appeared in the early fifties in the United Kingdom of Great [...]
The participants also experience a strong feeling of immersion in the virtual world; it was already noted that they perceive the virtual reality as a strong personal experience.
This feature of Osmose implies the unique nature of the new media and its ability to stay connected to the other features such as immersion and hypermedia, as the interactive nature is rather broad and [...]
It is paramount to note that the level of integration that has been achieved with this work is truly astounding. The most important aspect that should not be disregarded is that it can be viewed [...]
Osmose by Davies as the art installation reflects all the features of the modern media while combining the elements of the virtual environments with the persons' perception and such physical processes as breathing and moving.
In the age of modern arts, when both the creators and the audience is less concerned with the physical form and more with the underlying messages and feelings that art invokes, the multi-faceted topic of [...]
Part 3 takes a close look at the initial wire drawing for the benefit of developing the same linearly on a bigger scale. The figure below shows the development of a 3-D effect:
In her essay, Rose explores the legal state of tattooing as a form of artistic expression in the United States. She addresses the historical context of this skin art and the recent banning of tattooing [...]
The range of variations of work activities is lower than average when the output can be measured by such parameters as a total number of issues or the number of issues in a day.
At this step, the art critic mentions everything he/she knows and understands about the piece of art. The final step is judgment, which entails how the critic thinks of the work.
In general, the magazines for boys and girls have the same characteristics and basic format; they differ only in types of stories, main characters, and plots.
In the case of the work of Moore and Campbell, these elements represent a combination of parallel and perpendicular lines helping to reflect the main principles of panel-to-panel transition more precisely.
The panes are arranged in a way that helps to quickly and intuitively follow the major events and receive a clear picture of those before the actual reading of the utterances.
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 [...]
Therefore, the first part of this study explores the Abbass Studios Ltd.fonds through the story of the family and close observation of the selected works that constitute the chronicle of Sydney and all of Cape [...]
It is imperative to mention that the number of Chicano murals in Los Angeles is truly astounding, and it is not an easy task to choose the one that is the most visually appealing.
Cerberus therefore provides the viewer with a significant representation of hell and the underworld by encompassing the forces reigning in the underworld and its significance in allowing entry and exit from the underworld.
One of the main themes, which is common both for the graphic novel and for its adapted film version, is the life of teenagers in a post-graduation period.
Nonetheless, Picasso had a tendency to deny the influence of the African culture in his paintings, and It could be said that the primary reason for the denial of the African tradition is the fact [...]
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.
In specific, the theme of human body proportions is well-reflected in the engraving The Fall of Men; the brilliant use of color and attention to details in oils, characteristic of Michelangelo and Da Vinci, are [...]
David's "Napoleon Crossing the Alps" is a masterpiece because it gives the true picture of Napoleon Bonaparte. Although this was not the case with Napoleon, the painting achieved its purpose because the emperor was always [...]
The work states the idea that the "location of the soul was not necessarily in the body", and the focus is not on the man trying to breathe above the water, but on the vivid [...]
As a result, visual and performing arts are crucial for the participators and the society as a whole. The study of visual and performing arts is very crucial for the success in the industry.
