Art essays seek to examine, reflect on, and analyze an artwork. These essays tend to be more persuasive than art criticism; the latter, for example, may provide a detailed description of the painting. Philosophy has often been concerned with defining beauty or authenticity in artworks. Today there are many online resources available to learn more about art history and theory. Some websites also offer Art essay examples for free. You can use the samples for inspiration. If you need help with your essays, the sites have professional writers that will help you craft an original essay that will get you the grade you desire.

When writing college essays about art, it is essential to be familiar with the field’s terminology. In addition, it would be better if you had a good understanding of the historical context in which the artwork was created. Finally, one of the most important aspects of writing the essay is to provide a clear and concise description of the artwork. It would help if you began by giving the title of the piece and the artist’s name. Next, describe what you see in the artwork.

A formal analysis of Mary Cassatt Essay Example
555 words 3 pages

Mary Cassatt created her oil on canvas painting In the Loge in 1878. The two dimensional painting measures 81.28 x 66.04 cm / 32 x 26 inches and is currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. The painting’s subject is a young upper class woman at the opera in Paris. The sitter […]

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Aesthetics Color Design Eye Health Opera Painting
Waiting for the telegram Essay Example
877 words 4 pages

What will we reminisce and regret when we age and become an elder? Will we be lonely and ill? Or will we be happy and appreciate the small things in life? The Short Story ”Waiting for the Telegram” by Alan Bennett is about Violet, an elderly resident in a nursing home, who due to a […]

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Art Event Painting Resident
Walter Benjamin The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Essay Example
1183 words 5 pages

This essay will start from Walter Benjamin’s consideration about the impact of mechanical reproduction of art as revolutionizing its social function and will describe the noticeable validity of his theory in the contemporary world. By introducing three artworks that belong to different historical periods, namely, the ‘Mechanical Head’ by Raoul Hausmann, ‘Furhead’ by John McHale […]

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Art Mass Media Painting Work
Paintings – College Essay Example
1308 words 5 pages

The analysis examines two paintings from different artists but the same era. There is a thirteen-year gap between these artworks. Although they belong to the same time period, they display both similarities and differences in their styles. The first painting titled The Goose Girl at Montfoucault, White Frost was created by Camille Pissarro. It portrays […]

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College Color Painting
Jupiter and Io, Boy Bitten by a Lizard Essay Example
1334 words 5 pages

Both Jupiter and Io and Boy Bitten by a Lizard exhibit resemblances in their utilization of darkness and restricted color palette, as well as their focus on light to accentuate the main figures. Additionally, both paintings prominently feature the human form, capturing a specific emotional moment in their subjects’ journey and expertly freezing motion akin […]

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Boy Color Painting
Da Vinci vs Michaelangelo Essay Example
305 words 2 pages

The Color Vision and Art (2006) Exhibit compared the artistic styles of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). Despite being considered the greatest painters of their time, they differed significantly in terms of color preferences and artistic techniques. Michelangelo’s artworks featured vibrant and contrasting colors, while da Vinci opted for more subdued and […]

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Color Contras Design Law Leonardo Da Vinci Michelangelo Painting Sculpture
“The Persistence of Memory” and Dali’s Search for Truth Essay Example
258 words 1 page

Salvador Dali’s famous artwork “The Persistence of Memory” (1931) is widely regarded as one of the most renowned surrealist paintings of its time. The painting showcases a landscape depicted in browns, yellows, and blues, with the notable presence of fading and melting timepieces that have become synonymous with the piece. Dali’s color scheme focuses on […]

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Memories Painting Persistence
David Hockney Essay Example
1176 words 5 pages

Artist David Hockney’s arguably most famous works are those that portray the sunny environs of Califonia. But within his California paintings there is a large variety of tones and moods. In this essay I will compare and contrast “Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio” painted in 1987, and “California” painted in 1987. Hockney is […]

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Aesthetics David Painting
DB from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance Essay Example
1802 words 7 pages

The group chose a painting called “The Last Communion of Saint Jerome” by Botticelli as their preferred artwork. Created in the early 1490s, it is believed to depict the ritual and practice of Saint Jerome’s passing in a Bethlehem monastery. The painting displays various elements such as a bed with a plant and a crucifix […]

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Eucharist Jesus Christ Middle Ages Painting Renaissance
Death of Socrates, Painting Essay Example
3056 words 12 pages

In my essay I will analyze the historical picture “The Death of Socrates” (Oil on Canvas, 51” х771/4 1787, Metropolitan Museum of Art), painted by neo-classicist Jacques-Louis David. David’s controversial painting depicts the last moments of life of the greatest Athenian philosopher – Socrates. The government of Athens condemned Socrates for death or for exile […]

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Aesthetics Painting Socrates
Decorative arts Essay Example
896 words 4 pages

Decorative arts are traditionally defined as works in ceramics, wood, glass, glass, metal or textile. The field includes ceramics, furniture, furnishing, interior design, and architecture. The decorative arts are often categorized in opposition to the “fine arts” namely painting, drawing, and photography, and large scale sculpture. Some distinguish between decorative and fine arts based on […]

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Aesthetics APA Architecture Design Fashion Interior design Painting Synthesis
Defining the Visual Arts Essay Example
1739 words 7 pages

Visual art encompasses everyday life. Many pieces of visual fine art are available for the average consumer to purchase through reproductions and local fine artists. Visiting local festivals, museums, and galleries provides fine art for viewing. Taking classes in the medium of choice allows for further development of a critical eye for fine visual art […]

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Painting Visual Arts
Girl before a Mirror Essay Example
1200 words 5 pages

Girl before a Mirror, an oil on canvas painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, shows two sides of a girl; one which is illustrated with a dark tone and one with a vibrant colorful tone. This painting is bright; colors are at full intensity and are arranged next to their complements, producing a visual relationship […]

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Color Painting Shape
Albert Bierstadt Essay Example
608 words 3 pages

Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 – February 18, 1902) was a German-American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West. In obtaining the subject matter for these works, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion. Though not the first artist to record these sites, Bierstadt was the foremost painter of […]

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Design Informal Painting Subject matter
Zhang Xiaogang – Three Comrades Essay Example
340 words 2 pages

Three comrades is one of many family groups painted by Zhang Xiaogang in this series. The painting depicts Zhang’s ‘comrades’, whom can be seen as belonging to Chairman Mao’s great ‘revolutionary family’ The comrades hide their individual personalities and antiquities behind the facade of a standardised portrait. Lacking in specific gender, they appear so similar […]

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Law Painting Personal Politics Revolution
Art Botticelli Essay Example
1662 words 7 pages

Sandro Botticelli painted “The birth of Venus” in 1485, and Jean-Honore Fragonard painted “Happy accidents of the swing” in 1767. Botticelli’s painting is done in tempera on canvas, while Fragonard’s painting is done in oil on canvas. In Botticelli’s piece, we witness Venus emerging from the sea as she stands on a sea shell. To […]

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Compare and Contrast Design Narration Painting
Giorgione, the Tempest Essay Example
1910 words 7 pages

Founder of 16. century Venetian painting, who has place among the biggest renaissance artists. In history of art his works belong to the most problematical. Some scholars give Giorgione credit for dozens of paintings in a variety of styles, others reduce the list to a bare half-dozen. Giorgione’s works arise between 1500 and 1510 in […]

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Painting The Tempest
Katsushika Hokusai Essay Example
272 words 1 page

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist. He was born in 1760 and died in 1849. Hokusai was a painter, drawer, engraver and woodblock printer. He was influenced by western art and incorporated the western style of landscape and traditional Japanese methods into his painting and printmaking. Many of his prints were appreciated by Europeans and […]

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APA Artist Design Education Graphic Design Painting School Tradition
History Argumentative Essay Example
537 words 2 pages

1. Caravaggio’s “Calling of St. Matthew” exemplifies the use of naturalism in its portrayal of religion, displaying elements that imply religious symbolism without explicitly depicting it. Notably, the painting contrasts the well-dressed men surrounding Matthew with two figures at the door, indicating their significance. The figure with a halo and pointing gesture, along with a […]

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Art History Painting Sculpture
Art Analysis Essay Example
2371 words 9 pages

Artists are influenced by a variety of factors that show reflection in the works they create. They express their emotions and feelings in a visual way because they are appreciative of what they see; hence the environment they see every day -whether being natural or manmade- can be a major influence for many artists. Eugene […]

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Animals APA Design Ecology Narrative Natural Environment Painting Pollution
Simon Schama’s Power of Art Essay Example
718 words 3 pages

“Simon Schama’s Power of Art” is the eight-part series recounting the story of art as the best delivery of pleasure. In particular, the series present eight narratives of embattled heroes who made the art reasonable, despite confronting misunderstanding and disaster. Power of Art is challenging series aimed at exploring the power and the whole point […]

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Painting Power
Monet and Olympia Essay Example
330 words 2 pages

During that period, Olympia received severe criticism despite representing a common theme in art – the nude female. Nevertheless, Olympia differed from previous representations such as Titian’s “Venus of Urbino.” Monet chose to use a simplified color scheme for the body, which gives it a sharp and two-dimensional look similar to a photograph. Moreover, the […]

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Body Art Design Fashion History History Of Painting Painting

Popular Questions About Art

What is your definition of art?
art, also called (to distinguish it from other art forms) visual art, a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. The term art encompasses diverse media such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, decorative arts, photography, and installation.
What are the 3 types of art?
There are countless forms of art. When it comes to visual arts, there are generally 3 types: decorative, commercial, and fine art. The broader definition of “the arts” covers everything from painting through theatre, music, architecture, and more.
What are the 5 types of art?
Traditional categories within the arts include literature (including poetry, drama, story, and so on), the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.), the graphic arts (painting, drawing, design, and other forms expressed on flat surfaces), the plastic arts (sculpture, modeling), the decorative arts (enamelwork, ...
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