Essay Topic Hub

Art History
Essays

218+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

218 papers
1 subject area
UG & Grad levels
Free to browse
What is Art History?

In order to understand what an art history essay is; it is necessary to understand what the term “art history” means.  It refers to the academic study of the history and development of the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, and drawing.  Therefore, an art history essay is any essay that involves discussion of this history and development of art, and may focus on technical details of art that make it representative of a certain historical period or movement in art history.  Typical essay topics may ask you to explain how a work does or does not represent a specific type of art, and will require you to analyze different aspects of the painting such as color, line, texture, scale, contrast, size, medium, subject, technique, and the use of light to support your explanation.

218 papers
Sort by:
Paper Undergraduate
History and development of the scientific method in Western civilization
The quest for knowledge for knowledge's sake is an inherent part of mankind, and with this knowledge we are able to progress as a race through scientific advancements, in the form of medicine and technology to name but…
~1 min read
View paper →
Paper High School
Portraiture: Van Eyck, Van Der
The art of 15th century artists Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden and Jean Fouquet and their portraiture has been recognized as some of the most prolific art of its day, and has served to influence modern day art and artists as well. The following will serve to provide a comparative analysis of their most notable work and demonstrate the way these pieces and the artists themselves inform contemporary art.
~1 min read
View paper →
Paper Undergraduate
Historical background, relationships, and contributions of twelve periods in Western civilization
¶ … society as if it were essentially autonomous: There were the Egyptians, and the Greeks, and then the Romans, and so forth. But while, of course, there are core practices, habits, and beliefs -- and historical…
~1 min read
View paper →
Explore Related Topics
📚Movie 1,000 📚Film 1,000 📚Music 1,000 📚Theater 1,000 📚Architecture 1,000 📚Fashion 1,000
Paper Undergraduate
Ancient City-States: Architecture, Art, and Civilization
An examination of the cultural contributions to the first City-States in the History of Ancient Civilization, the essay looks at the advances in architecture, arts and letters, astronomy, governance, and urban planning…
~1 min read
View paper →
Paper Undergraduate
Rituals of Resistance: Kongo Religion and Slave Spirituality
¶ … Rituals of Resistance, links the religious practices and theology of the Kongo region in West Central Africa to that of the slaveholding societies in the American South, particularly in the Sea Island region of…
~1 min read
View paper →
Research Paper Undergraduate
Andy Warhol: Art, Commerce, and the Pop Art Debate
Over the course of the 20th century, commercial design emerged as a vital and highly influential aspect of both design and art. And key to the rise in importance of commercial design was Andy Warhol, whose art was…
~1 min read
View paper →
Paper Undergraduate
Gothic Sculpture: The Column Figure of a Nimbed King
Art represents the era in which it was produced and often speaks to later time periods as well, and how we view the art of the past shows some of what we think about ourselves and about the meaning we attribute to both…
~1 min read
View paper →
Research Paper Undergraduate
Baroque vs. Renaissance: Continuity in Art and Technique
Art is the expression of artistic vision that carries the sign of the period of time when it was created. Baroque was born Italy from where it spread to France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.
~1 min read
View paper →
Research Paper Doctorate
Gender Construction in Velázquez's Rokeby Venus and the Suffragettes
An Analysis and Discussion of Gender Construction in the Toilet of Venus (1647-51) by Diego Velasquez
~1 min read
View paper →
Research Paper Undergraduate
Stories of Art by James Elkins: A Critical Book Review
Elkins, James. Stories of Art. Routledge, 2002.
~1 min read
View paper →