Visual Arts Essay Examples

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]

Ever wondered who was behind the paintbrush for paintings like “Sistine Cherubs” or “The School of Athens”? Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino was this famous Italian artist. He was admired by how much clarity was in his paintings as well as visual achievement. Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, he formed the traditional trinity of […]

Often in art galleries one can find masses of people carefully inspecting precious paintings and other works. Currently, the common practice for both novices and experts alike is to closely examine each piece of work for a deeper, disguised meaning that every artist has somehow instilled in his or her creations. Despite the popularity of […]

Authors such as Henry Lawson use language and other techniques to paint distinctively visual images to shape the meanings of their texts. Using these ideas Lawson creates images based on the struggles of life in the Australian bush. The two short stories ‘In a dry Season’ and ‘The Drover’s Wife’ represent the idea of how […]

There are several different works called The Kiss, created by different artists. Auguste Rodin, Constatin Brancusi, and Gustav Klimt all have their own version of the work. While Rodin and Brancusi created a sculpture, Klimt created a painting. These artists conveyed many different emotions for their viewers to perceive. These works of art also have […]

This will be evaluating the way in which Grant wanted the public to view this art work. This is how he imagined Paul Revere in the event of the Revolutionary War when he was a child. I will be explaining the meaning behind colors and values used as well as other identifying elements in the […]

When looking at the two images of John Taylor and Howling Wolf’s views on the way the treaty signing of 1867 happened we can begin to see the way both represented their own view. In my opinion, John Taylor represented the treaty signing better in the eyes of all of us. He may of used […]

There have been different artistic peaks throughout the history of humanity influenced by specific social, political or religious situations of the time. Those peaks shaped by certain styles had an important impact on art as we know it today. One of the most recognized styles of art of seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe were […]

The Sunflowers is one of the most popular paintings in the National Gallery. It is the painting that is most often reproduced on cards, posters, mugs, tea-towels and stationery. It was also the picture that Van Gogh was most proud of. Van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888 It was painted during a rare period of excited optimism, […]

Germany’s great Renaissance illustrator and printmaker, Albrecht Durer is considered to be one of the great artists of the Northern European Renaissance. He was born on may 21, 1471. Disciplined in his father’s goldsmith shop and apprenticed to one of Nuremberg’s best artists, Durer adapted an early talent for drawing and engraving. Influenced in style […]