research topics for art history

Art History Research Paper Topics

Dive into the vibrant world of art history research paper topics through this meticulously curated guide, tailored for students immersed in studying history and tasked with crafting a research paper. The guide commences with a comprehensive list of 100 intriguing topics, segmented into ten well-defined categories, serving as an invaluable source of inspiration. Further guidance on how to select an art history research paper topic is provided, along with practical insights into the crafting of an exceptional art history research paper. The guide transitions into presenting the specialized writing services offered by iResearchNet, enabling students to commission custom art history research papers on any chosen topic.

100 Art History Research Paper Topics

Art history, as a field of study, covers thousands of years and countless cultures, offering an expansive array of topics for research papers. When embarking on an art history project, you can focus on certain eras, explore individual artists or art movements, investigate the role of art in specific cultures, or delve into the meanings behind specific pieces or collections. Below, we present a comprehensive list of art history research paper topics divided into ten major categories. Each topic is an invitation to dive into a unique aspect of art history and explore its significance in the global artistic landscape.

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Ancient Art

• The Impact of Geography on Ancient Egyptian Art
• Materials and Techniques in Ancient Greek Sculpture
• Roman Architecture: Principles and Examples
• Understanding the Art of the Ancient Maya Civilization
• Development of Buddhist Art in Ancient India
• Influence of Ancient Chinese Art on Later Dynasties
• Ancient Persian Art and Its Impact on the Middle East
• Representation of Deities in Ancient Egyptian Art
• The Use of Color in Ancient Roman Frescoes
• Comparative Analysis of Ancient Greek and Roman Sculpture

Medieval Art

• Role of Art in Christian Worship in the Middle Ages
• Gothic Architecture: Characteristics and Examples
• The Influence of Islam on Medieval Art in Spain
• The Evolution of Iconography in Medieval Paintings
• Art as Propaganda in the Middle Ages
• The Role of Women in Medieval Art and Society
• Transition from Romanesque to Gothic Architecture
• Analysis of Illuminated Manuscripts in the Medieval Period
• The Influence of Byzantine Art on the Western Medieval Art
• Representation of the Divine and Demonic in Medieval Art

Renaissance Art

• Humanism and Its Impact on Renaissance Art
• The Techniques of Leonardo da Vinci
• The Role of Patronage in the Italian Renaissance
• The Evolution of Self-Portraiture in the Renaissance
• Comparison of Italian and Northern Renaissance Art
• Michelangelo’s Influence on Art and Artists
• Analysis of Female Figures in Renaissance Paintings
• Use of Perspective in Renaissance Art
• Interpretation of Mythology in Renaissance Art
• Influence of Classical Antiquity on Renaissance Artists

Baroque and Rococo Art

• Impact of the Counter-Reformation on Baroque Art in Italy
• The Evolution of Landscape Painting in the Baroque Period
• Use of Light in Caravaggio’s Paintings
• Analysis of Rembrandt’s Portraiture
• Comparison of French and Spanish Baroque Art
• Women Artists of the Baroque Period
• The Transition from Baroque to Rococo Art
• Impact of Louis XIV’s Reign on French Art and Architecture
• Rococo Art as a Reflection of Aristocratic Society
• The Cultural and Artistic Influence of Versailles

Neoclassicism and Romanticism

• Influence of Archaeological Discoveries on Neoclassical Art
• Comparison of Neoclassicism and Romanticism
• Exploration of the Sublime in Romantic Landscape Paintings
• Impact of the French Revolution on Art
• Analysis of David’s Oath of the Horatii
• Romanticism and the Depiction of National Identity
• Romantic Artists’ Fascination with the Exotic and the Orient
• The Role of Women Artists in the Romantic Period
• Neoclassical Architecture in Europe and America
• Depiction of Mythology in Romantic Art

Modern Art Movements

• Impressionism and the Art of Life
• The Influence of Japanese Art on Vincent Van Gogh
• Symbolism in Edvard Munch’s The Scream
• Pablo Picasso and the Evolution of Cubism
• The Impact of WWI on the Artistic Movements of the 1920s
• Surrealism: Dreams and the Unconscious
• Political Messages in Diego Rivera’s Murals
• Abstract Expressionism and the Sublime
• Pop Art as a Reflection of Consumer Culture
• Minimalism and the Idea of Less is More

Contemporary Art

• Conceptual Art and the Importance of Ideas
• The Role of Art in Critiquing Contemporary Society
• Environmental Messages in Contemporary Art
• Representation of Identity in Contemporary Art
• Feminism and Contemporary Art
• The Use of New Media in Contemporary Art
• Installation Art and Audience Participation
• Street Art and Its Role in Urban Spaces
• The Influence of Globalization on Contemporary Art
• Impact of Digital Technologies on Contemporary Art Practices

Non-Western Art

• The Influence of African Art on Modernist Artists
• Understanding Islamic Calligraphy
• The Role of Art in Traditional African Societies
• Traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e Prints
• The Development of Indian Mughal Painting
• The Role of Ancestors in Oceanic Art
• Comparison of Traditional and Contemporary Native American Art
• Indigenous Australian Art and Its Connection to the Land
• Artistic Traditions of the Inuit
• Symbolism in Persian Miniature Painting

Women in Art

• Female Representation in Ancient Greek Art
• Depictions of Women in Baroque Art
• Women Artists of the Renaissance and Their Struggles
• The Influence of Feminism on Contemporary Art
• Exploration of Gender Roles through Art
• Mary Cassatt and Her Influence on Impressionism
• Frida Kahlo: An Icon of Feminism and Mexican Heritage
• The Evolution of Female Nude in Art History
• The Guerrilla Girls and Their Fight for Equality in the Art World
• The Impact of Postmodernism on Feminist Art

Art Theory and Criticism

• The Role of the Art Critic: From Clement Greenberg to Jerry Saltz
• Postmodernism and the Death of the Author
• Formal Analysis: Its Role and Importance
• The Semiotics of Art: Signs and Symbols
• Influence of Psychoanalytic Theory on Art Criticism
• Iconology and the Hidden Meanings in Visual Art
• Deconstruction and the Analysis of Art
• Feminist Approaches to Art Criticism
• Influence of Marxism on Art Theory and Criticism
• The Impact of Postcolonial Theory on Art Criticism

Each category in this comprehensive list of art history research paper topics provides a wide range of subjects to explore. These diverse topics cater to various interests and offer a rich field for academic exploration. They each represent an invitation to delve deeper into the fascinating world of art history, offering you the opportunity to develop your understanding and share your unique perspective with others.

Art History and the Range of Research Paper Topics it Offers

Art history is an exceptionally broad field that spans thousands of years, multiple continents, countless cultures, and myriad forms of artistic expression. From the earliest cave paintings to contemporary digital art, the study of art history allows us to explore human history through the lens of visual culture. This piece explores the expanse of art history and the wide range of research paper topics it offers to students.

Art history is often compartmentalized into periods and styles, such as Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Romantic, Modern, and Contemporary art. Each era has its distinct characteristics, historical context, and notable artists, providing a myriad of potential research topics. For instance, one could study the impact of the Counter-Reformation on Baroque art in Italy or analyze the evolution of self-portraiture during the Renaissance.

A profound understanding of these periods and styles can also pave the way to comparative studies, allowing for interesting contrasts and parallels to be drawn between different epochs or artistic movements. For example, contrasting the logical, reason-based approach of Neoclassicism with the emotion and individualism of Romanticism can lead to a rich analysis of cultural shifts during these times.

Moreover, art history offers ample scope for studying non-Western art. Researching non-Western artistic traditions—such as African art, Islamic calligraphy, Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, or Indigenous Australian art—provides not only aesthetic appreciation but also deeper insights into these cultures’ philosophies, social structures, and spiritual beliefs.

Art history is not just the study of “high art” or the art of the elite and educated classes. Folk art, outsider art, street art, and other forms of “low art” are equally valuable subjects of study. These genres often give voice to marginalized groups and offer valuable insights into popular culture and the concerns of the everyday people.

Another compelling avenue of research is the exploration of thematic elements in art history. These themes could range from the representation of women, the interpretation of mythology, the depiction of national identity, to the portrayal of the sublime in nature. Thematic studies often transcend the boundaries of period and style, making them an exciting approach for those interested in cross-cultural and transhistorical comparisons.

The study of individual artists and their oeuvre is yet another rich area of research in art history. Focusing on a single artist’s work can provide a microcosmic view of broader artistic, cultural, and social trends. A deep dive into the works of influential artists like Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, or Frida Kahlo can reveal much about the time, place, and context in which they created their art.

Art history also encompasses the study of art theory and criticism, which could lead to engaging research on topics like the role of the art critic, the influence of psychoanalytic theory on art criticism, or the impact of postcolonial theory on art criticism.

Moreover, with the rise of new media and digital technologies, contemporary art offers a plethora of unique research areas. From conceptual art and installation art to digital art and virtual reality, these new forms of art reflect the changing world and often challenge traditional notions of what art can be.

Choosing a research topic in art history is a process of personal exploration. It involves identifying your interests, asking questions, and being willing to follow a path of inquiry wherever it may lead. It requires an openness to learning and discovery, a willingness to engage with different cultures and times, and an ability to appreciate different forms of artistic expression.

In conclusion, art history, as a field of study, offers an almost infinite range of potential research topics. Whether your interest lies in specific periods or styles, individual artists or movements, thematic elements or theoretical concerns, art history has something for everyone. Through studying art history and engaging in research, you can deepen your understanding of the world and your place in it, gaining insights that are both personally enriching and academically rewarding.

Choosing Art History Research Paper Topics

Choosing the right research paper topic is crucial in art history. It allows you to explore your interests, showcase your knowledge, and contribute to the field. This section provides expert advice on selecting art history research paper topics that are engaging, significant, and conducive to in-depth analysis.

• Understand the Scope and Context : To choose an art history research paper topic, start by understanding the scope and context of the subject. Familiarize yourself with different art movements, periods, and regions. Consider the specific time period, artistic styles, cultural influences, and socio-political contexts that interest you.
• Follow Your Passion : Passion is key when selecting a research paper topic. Identify aspects of art history that genuinely excite you. Whether it’s Renaissance art, modern sculpture, or ancient Egyptian paintings, selecting a topic that aligns with your interests will make the research process more enjoyable and rewarding.
• Narrow Down the Focus : Art history is a vast field, so it’s important to narrow down your focus. Instead of choosing broad topics like “Renaissance art,” consider specific themes, artists, or art movements within that era. For example, you could explore the influence of Leonardo da Vinci’s techniques on Renaissance portraiture.
• Conduct Preliminary Research : Before finalizing your topic, conduct preliminary research to ensure sufficient resources are available. Look for scholarly articles, books, museum catalogs, and online databases that provide relevant information and analysis. This step will help you determine if your chosen topic has enough material for a comprehensive research paper.
• Analyze Existing Scholarship : Reviewing existing scholarship is crucial for identifying gaps in knowledge and potential research avenues. Read scholarly articles, dissertations, and books on art history topics related to your interests. This will help you develop a unique research question and contribute to the academic discourse.
• Incorporate Interdisciplinary Approaches : Art history is an interdisciplinary field, so consider incorporating perspectives from other disciplines. Explore connections between art and politics, society, philosophy, or gender studies. This interdisciplinary approach will add depth and richness to your research paper.
• Consult with Professors and Experts : Seek guidance from your professors or art history experts. They can provide valuable insights, suggest potential topics, and recommend relevant sources. Engage in discussions, attend lectures, and take advantage of their expertise to refine your research paper topic.
• Brainstorm and Create a Shortlist : Brainstorm a list of potential art history research paper topics based on your interests, preliminary research, and consultations. Write down keywords, themes, and specific ideas that capture your attention. Then, narrow down the list to create a shortlist of the most compelling topics.
• Consider Significance and Originality : Choose a topic that is both significant and original. Consider the broader implications of your research and how it contributes to the field of art history. Aim to uncover lesser-known artists, analyze understudied artworks, or challenge prevailing interpretations.
• Refine and Finalize Your Topic : Refine your research topic based on the above considerations. Craft a clear and concise research question or thesis statement that guides your exploration. Ensure your topic is specific, manageable within the scope of your research paper, and aligned with the requirements of your assignment.

Selecting an art history research paper topic requires careful consideration and a balance between personal interest and academic significance. By understanding the scope, conducting preliminary research, and seeking expert guidance, you can choose a topic that allows you to delve into the fascinating world of art history and make a meaningful contribution to the field.

How to Write an Art History Research Paper

Writing an art history research paper requires a combination of critical analysis, research skills, and effective writing techniques. This section provides a comprehensive guide on how to write an art history research paper, from selecting a topic to organizing your findings and presenting a compelling argument.

• Understand the Assignment : Start by understanding the requirements of your research paper assignment. Pay attention to the guidelines, word count, formatting style (e.g., MLA, APA), and any specific research questions or prompts provided by your instructor. This will help you structure your paper accordingly.
• Choose a Compelling Topic : Select a research topic that aligns with your interests and offers ample opportunities for exploration. Refer to the expert advice section on choosing art history research paper topics for guidance. Ensure your topic is specific, manageable, and allows for in-depth analysis.
• Conduct In-Depth Research : Gather relevant sources and conduct in-depth research on your chosen topic. Explore scholarly articles, books, museum catalogs, primary sources, and online databases. Take detailed notes, citing the sources properly, and keep track of key findings, arguments, and interpretations.
• Develop a Thesis Statement : Craft a clear and concise thesis statement that presents the main argument or focus of your research paper. Your thesis should be debatable, supported by evidence, and guide the direction of your analysis. It is the foundation upon which your entire paper will be built.
• Create an Outline : Outline your research paper to provide structure and organization. Divide your paper into sections, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each section should address a specific aspect of your research, supporting your thesis statement and providing a logical flow of ideas.
• Write a Compelling Introduction : Begin your research paper with an engaging introduction that grabs the reader’s attention and provides necessary background information. Clearly state your thesis statement and provide a brief overview of your research objectives, setting the tone for the rest of the paper.
• Present Well-Structured Body Paragraphs : The body paragraphs of your research paper should present your analysis, evidence, and supporting arguments. Each paragraph should focus on a specific point, providing clear topic sentences and supporting evidence from your research. Use proper citations to credit your sources.
• Analyze Artworks and Interpretations : Engage in critical analysis of artworks, considering their formal elements, stylistic features, cultural context, and historical significance. Compare and contrast different interpretations, theories, or scholarly viewpoints to develop a well-rounded analysis of your chosen topic.
• Incorporate Visual Evidence : Include visual evidence in your research paper to enhance your analysis. Include high-quality images of artworks, architectural structures, or artifacts relevant to your topic. Label and refer to them in the text, providing insightful descriptions and analysis.
• Craft a Strong Conclusion : End your research paper with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main arguments and restates your thesis statement. Reflect on the significance of your research findings, discuss any limitations or unanswered questions, and suggest avenues for further exploration.
• Revise and Edit : After completing the initial draft, revise and edit your research paper for clarity, coherence, and adherence to academic standards. Check for grammatical errors, ensure proper citations, and refine your arguments for precision and conciseness.
• Seek Feedback : Share your research paper with peers, professors, or mentors for feedback. Consider their suggestions and critique to improve the quality of your paper. Pay attention to clarity of expression, logical organization, and the strength of your argument.
• Proofread and Format : Before submitting your research paper, thoroughly proofread it to eliminate any spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors. Ensure that your paper adheres to the required formatting style, including proper citations and a bibliography or works cited page.

Writing an art history research paper requires a combination of research skills, critical thinking, and effective writing techniques. By following these steps, you can create a well-structured and compelling research paper that showcases your understanding of art history, engages with scholarly discourse, and contributes to the field.

iResearchNet’s Writing Services

At iResearchNet, we understand the challenges faced by students when it comes to writing art history research papers. With our dedicated team of expert writers and comprehensive writing services, we are here to assist you throughout the research and writing process. Whether you need help selecting a topic, conducting in-depth research, or crafting a compelling argument, our services are designed to support your academic success. In this section, we will highlight the key features of iResearchNet’s writing services and demonstrate how we can be your trusted partner in art history research papers.

• Expert Degree-Holding Writers : We take pride in our team of expert writers, who hold advanced degrees in art history and related disciplines. They have a deep understanding of the subject matter and possess the knowledge and expertise to handle a wide range of art history topics. Our writers are committed to delivering high-quality and well-researched papers that meet your academic requirements.
• Custom Written Works : Every research paper we deliver is custom written to your specific needs and instructions. We understand that each project is unique, and we tailor our approach accordingly. Our writers conduct thorough research, analyze relevant sources, and develop original arguments and insights to ensure that your paper stands out.
• In-Depth Research : Our writers are skilled in conducting in-depth research on art history topics. They have access to a wide range of scholarly databases, art catalogs, and reliable online resources. They meticulously gather relevant sources, critically analyze them, and integrate the most up-to-date and authoritative information into your research paper.
• Custom Formatting : We are well-versed in various formatting styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard. Our writers adhere to the specific guidelines of your institution and ensure that your paper is formatted correctly, including in-text citations, references, footnotes, and bibliography.
• Top Quality : At iResearchNet, we prioritize quality in every aspect of our services. Our writers are dedicated to delivering research papers that demonstrate depth of analysis, clarity of expression, and adherence to academic standards. We have a rigorous quality assurance process in place to ensure that every paper meets the highest standards of excellence.
• Customized Solutions : We understand that each student has unique requirements and preferences. That’s why we offer customized solutions tailored to your specific needs. Whether you need assistance with topic selection, literature review, data analysis, or any other aspect of your research paper, we are here to provide personalized support.
• Flexible Pricing : We offer flexible pricing options to accommodate your budget. We understand that students have different financial constraints, and we strive to provide affordable services without compromising on quality. Our pricing structure is transparent, and we offer various packages to suit your specific requirements.
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• Timely Delivery : Meeting deadlines is a top priority for us. We understand the importance of submitting your research paper on time to ensure academic success. Our writers are committed to delivering your paper within the agreed-upon timeframe, allowing you ample time for review and revision.
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250+ Research Paper Topics for Art Lovers and Curious Minds

Table of contents

• 1 Argumentative Art Topics for Research Papers
• 2 Fun Art Research Ideas for Professional Writers
• 3 Controversial Art Research Topics
• 4 Gendered Roles in Modern Art Research
• 5 Art Topics for Research Papers: The Impacts of Technology
• 6.1 Themes in 21st Century Paintings
• 7 Ancient Art History Research Paper Topics
• 8 Art Research Topics on Different Cultures
• 9 Greek Art Research Paper Topics
• 10 Art Topics during the Byzantine Period
• 11 Medieval Art History Research Paper Topics
• 12 Renaissance Paper Topics
• 13 Research Paper Topics on the Baroque Era
• 14 The Impressionist Artistic Movement
• 15 The Modern Art Talk about Romanticism
• 16 The Art Influence of Mannerism
• 17 The Post-impressionist Art Movement
• 18 Surrealism in Art History
• 19 The Highlights of Cubism
• 20 The Avant-garde Art Topics
• 21 The Expressionist Art Movement
• 22 Topics on Dadaism
• 23 Pop Art Debate Topics
• 24 Art Education Research Topics in the 16th Century
• 25 Cool Art Ideas during the 17th Century
• 26 Research Papers on Art Produced during the 18th Century
• 27 The 19th Century Artistic Styles
• 28 The 20th Century’s Artistic Characteristics
• 29 Contemporary Art History Topics
• 30 Mexican Revolutionary Art Research Paper Topics
• 31 Architecture Research Paper Topics
• 32 Theater Research Paper Ideas
• 33 The Study of Photography as Research about Art
• 34.1 Art Topics Ideas Base on the Artists of the 18th Century
• 34.2 Artists of the 19th Century

Art has been a significant aspect of human civilization for centuries. From the earliest cave paintings to modern-day installations, art has served as a means of expression and communication. The study of art encompasses a broad range of disciplines, including art history, aesthetics, philosophy, sociology, and psychology. As such, the best controversial research paper topics within the field of art can be explored. This article aims to provide a comprehensive list of 250+ art topics covering various aspects of the discipline, including famous artists and artworks, art movements, theories and concepts, and social and political influences. These topics intend to inspire students and researchers before even choosing their favorite paper writing service and delving deeper into the complex world of art.

Argumentative Art Topics for Research Papers

Art has always been a recurring topic of debate, with different interpretations and perspectives on what it represents and its hidden meanings. From discussions on censorship and freedom of expression to art’s political implications, explore other possibilities in art.

• Write a Critical Analysis of Censorship Issues and How They Can Limit Artistic Freedom.
• Argue for or against Using Public Funds to Support Art and Institutions.
• Discuss the Ethical Considerations Surrounding the Cultural Appropriation of Symbolisms.
• Delimitate the Boundaries of the Tension between Art Commercialization and Artistic Expression’s Authenticity.
• Study How the Relationship between Art and Identity Is Explored and How It Can Shape and Express Individual and Collective Identities.

Fun Art Research Ideas for Professional Writers

Even the most skilled professionals need help developing fresh inspiration for art-related topics and finding  research paper writing help . With this list, we want to inspire writers to explore new horizons, from unconventional art mediums to unusual artists.

• Graffiti Art: Exploring Its Significance and Evolution as a Legitimate Artistic Expression.
• The Impact of Street Photography and How Does It Capture the Essence of Modern Life.
• How Have Album Covers Influenced Popular Culture, and How Do They Reflect the Artistic Vision of Musicians and Artists?
• Analyzing the History and Wonders of Asian Art and Animation and Its Impact on Popular Culture.
• Find Out How Indigenous Art Explores Its Diverse Forms and How It Reflects on the Culture of Their Communities.

Controversial Art Research Topics

Art has always been polarizing, sparking debates on various issues. Whether you’re an art student or an enthusiast, you’ll find excellent history research paper topics on this list.

• Examining the Limits of Expression through the Lenses of Artistic Freedom.
• The Power and Perils of Art Representing Marginalized Communities.
• What Responsibilities Do Collectors Have When Collecting Debatable Pieces?
• Reckoning with the past and the Controversial Legacy of Colonial Art.
• How Do Artists Navigate Appropriation through the Problematic Nature of Artistic Inspiration?
• Write an Argumentative Essay About the Use of Religious Imagery: Is It Blasphemy or Legitimate Creative Expression?
• Censorship: Protecting Public Morals or Inhibiting Creativity?

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Gendered Roles in Modern Art Research

Historically male dominance in art has resulted in a limited representation of women. Few female artists are recognized for their contributions, bringing discussions on gendered roles in modern art to the forefront. Check out some fine arts research paper topics.

• Explore the Works of Frida Kahlo and Unravel Gendered Representations in Modern Art.
• The Impact on the Evolution of Feminist Art Generated by Tracey Emin’s Work.
• Research Marina Abramovic’s Pieces and Learn How She Pushed Boundaries on Gender and Performance Art.
• How to See beyond the Male Gaze through John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” While Critiquing the Objectification of Fine Art.
• The Art of Challenging Conventional Female Roles by Agnes Martin.
• Take an in Depth Look at Cindy Sherman’s Gender and Identity Exploration in Contemporary Art.
• Defying Conservative Norms and Embracing the Body – The Visual Art of Kiki Smith.
• Learn More about the Rise of Women Artists in Modern Art Following the Artworks of Yayoi Kusama.

Art Topics for Research Papers: The Impacts of Technology

Technology has opened up several possibilities, from digital media and virtual reality installations to 3D printing, computer-generated imagery, or even an essay writing service . Look at some of the most interesting art topics that explore this relationship.

• Examine How Technology Has Enabled New Forms of Artistic Expression through Digital Art.
• Art Democratization: How Technology Has Made It Easier for Artists to Reach Wider Audiences.
• The Transformation of Experience and Interaction with Modern World Art through AR Technology.
• AI and New Art Forms: Potential to Challenge Traditional Notions of Creativity.
• Explore How New Social Media Platforms Have Transformed the Ways We Consume Art.
• How Can Digital Technology Preserve and Restore Deteriorating Works of True Art?

Interesting Modern and Contemporary Art Topics

From abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, contemporary artists have explored many creative avenues, resulting in thought-provoking works that challenge traditional notions of art. Check out some ideas for those who want to buy research papers about different epochs in Modern Art.

• Kandinsky, Pollock, and Rothko Pave the Path with the Force of Chaos and Calm.
• Artists like Banksy, Kruger and Weiwei Boldly Show Us How to Discuss Today’s Issues.
• Understand How Fairey, Botero, and Holzer Revolutionize the World through Art.
• Find Out Where Creativity Meets Technology with Arcangel, Utterback, and Lozano-Hemmer.
• Fashion and Art Become the Perfect Pairing: Warhol, Dali, and Haring Meet Saint Laurent, Schiaparelli, and Scott.
• Shattering Stereotypes – Chicago, Sherman, and Ono Challenge the Status Quo.
• Richter, Hirst, and Walker Demonstrate the Ongoing Relevance of Modern Art.

Themes in 21st Century Paintings

• Explore beyond the Representation of Identity in Kerry James Marshall’s “Untitled (Studio)” and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s “Mascara.”
• Use the Landscapes of David Hockney and Anselm Kiefer’s “The Field” to Reflect on Environmental Consciousness.
• Analyze the Works of Yinka Shonibare Mbe and Kara Walker’s “A Subtlety.” to Understand Global Visions and Cultural Exchange.
• Politics Occur in Street Art, Becoming Activism in Banksy’s Art and AI Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds.”
• Memory, Nostalgia, and Figurative Painting in the Works of Elizabeth Peyton and Lisa Yuskavage’s “Night.”
• “Untitled” by Cecily Brown and the Works of Gerhard Richter: Abstraction and Emotion.
• Technology in Contemporary Painting with Jenny Saville’s “Ancestors” and Stelarc’s “Third Hand.”
• Transcribed Gender and Sexuality in the Works of Nicole Eisenman’s “Procession” and John Currin’s “The Women of Franklin Street.”

Ancient Art History Research Paper Topics

The art of early civilizations is a testament to these societies’ creativity and cultural significance. Check out the best art topics for those interested in Ancient Rome, Mayan Culture, and African art.

• Explore the Development of Primordial Egyptian Art and Its Impact on Later Art Forms.
• The Significance of Art in Mesopotamian Civilization.
• Explore the Relevance of Ancient Chinese Art and Its Influence on the Following Centuries.
• Analyze the Evolution of Artworks in Old India and Their Relationship with Religion and Culture.
• The Role of Art in Mayan Society and Its Significance in Their Spirituality and Habits.
• The Development of Art in Mesoamerican Civilizations and Its Impact on Later Art Forms.
• Analyze the Symbolism of Motifs in Ancient Art and Its Historical Context.

Art Research Topics on Different Cultures

Each culture has unique artistic expressions that reflect its history and social norms. By delving into the art of various cultures, we can gain insights into how art shapes and reflects human experiences and choose exciting art history research topics.

• What Is the Role of Family and Community in Maori Art?
• The Tradition of African Art and Mask Making and Its Role in Identity Formation.
• Understanding the Symbolism and Meaning in Traditional Indian Textiles through the Colors of Culture.
• The Evolution of Japanese Woodblock Prints from Edo to Meiji Era.
• Try Looking for the Symbolism and Meaning in the Paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and Other Examples of Eastern Art.
• The Beauty of Symmetry: Geometry and Design in Islamic Art and Architecture.

Greek Art Research Paper Topics

Greek art is a rich and fascinating field of study that offers endless possibilities. Here is a list of art research paper topics exploring Greek artists’ diverse and complex world.

• Examine the Development of Sculptures from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Period.
• Analyze How Greek Artists Portrayed Gods, Goddesses, and Mythological Heroes.
• How Did Ceramics’ Significance in Daily Life Shape Pottery’s Role in Ancient Greece?
• Take an in Depth Look at the Use of Colour in Greek Sculpture, Painting, and Pottery.
• The Influence of Egypt on Greek Art and How It Impacted the Development of the Current Identity.
• Analyze How Women Were Represented and Their Role in Shaping the Cultural Context of the Time.
• Develop the Topic on the Symbolism and Representation of Animals in Greek Art and Mythology.
• Find Research Papers That Illustrate the Influence of Greece on Roman Art.

Art Topics during the Byzantine Period

Byzantine art illustrates the social context of that time, focusing on religious themes and having a close relationship between art and theology. Explore some of the most notable examples of Byzantine art, including mosaics and frescoes.

• A Study of the Architectural and Artistic Achievements of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
• Compare Your Personal Impressions on the Similarities and Differences between Byzantine Art and the Pieces Created during the Renaissance.
• What Was the Importance of Ivory Triptychs in Byzantine Art?
• To Understand Illumination, Research the Byzantine Manuscripts and Their Decorations.
• Compare the Artistic Styles of the Byzantine Art and the Romanesque Period.
• Learn More about the Revival of Classical Artistic Techniques in Byzantine Art.

Medieval Art History Research Paper Topics

Medieval art is characterized by intricate designs, elaborate ornamentation, and religious symbolism, reflecting the time’s beliefs. In writing a research paper on Medieval art history, choosing the right topic allows an in-depth exploration of various aspects of this period.

• Examine the Development in the Representation of Religious Figures and Scenes in Medieval Artworks.
• Analyze the Artistry and Significance of Illuminated Manuscripts in Europe.
• Explore the Influence of Islamic Art on the Development of Medieval Paintings.
• Examine the Meanings and Representation of Animals and Their Significance in That Time’s Worldview.
• Deep Dive into the Techniques and Symbolism Used in Stained Glass Windows in Medieval Churches.

Renaissance Paper Topics

The Renaissance Era was a period of profound cultural rebirth that had a lasting impact on the development of Western art. New growing ideas started a revolution in paintings and sculptures that saw the emergence of new techniques and forms of expression.

• Exploring the Ideals of Humanism and How They Were Reflected on Art at That Period.
• Analyze the Revival of Classical Motifs and Themes in Renaissance Art.
• Write about the Use of Perspective during the Renaissance Era and Its Impact on the Representation of Space and Depth.
• Analyze How Women Were Represented in Art and Their Role in Shaping the Cultural Context of That Time.
• Patronage System during Renaissance: Individual and Institutions Support of Art.
• Examine the Rise of Artists-Genius, Such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, and How Society Perceived Them.
• Explore How Religious Themes Were Depicted in Renaissance Art.
• Start an Analysis of the Use of Allegory in Renaissance Art and Its Meaning in the Cultural Context of the Time.

Research Paper Topics on the Baroque Era

The Baroque era is known for its dramatic and ornate style, intricate ornamentation, and bold colours. In the following topics, we will explore some research paper key concepts related to the Baroque era.

• The Power of Light and Shade: A Study of Caravaggio’s Dramatic Use of Chiaroscuro.
• Carry an in Depth Analysis of the Religious Context of Baroque Art Presented in Murals and Paintings.
• The Triumph of Movement: An Analysis of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Sculpture and Its Dynamic Qualities.
• Study Female Portrayals by Artemisia Gentileschi and Judith Leyster and Learn More about the Role of Women in the Baroque Era.
• Baroque and Politics: The Relationship between Art and Power in 17th-Century Europe.
• Develop an Article about Trompe-L’œIl Painting in Baroque Art and Discover the Power of Illusion.

The Impressionist Artistic Movement

Impressionism is an art movement that emphasizes capturing the transient effects of light and colour in the natural world. By exploring the following art research paper topics, we will gain a deeper understanding of the significance of impressionism and its ongoing legacy.

• Understand Better the Concept of Time in Impressionist Paintings by Studying Some of Paul Cézanne’s Still Life.
• What’s the Relevance of Weather in Impressionist Work, and What Can We Learn from It?
• Discover the Importance of Motion in Impressionist Landscapes, According to Camille Pissarro.
• What Was the Reception of Impressionism in America, and How It Impacted Local Artists?
• Draw a Timeline of the Evolution of éDouard Manet’s Artistic Style.
• The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Degas’ Art: A Comparative Study of His Depictions of Black and Asian Figures.

The Modern Art Talk about Romanticism

Romanticism is an interesting topic characterized by a fascination with emotion, nature, and the individual. By examining the art nuances of Romanticism, we can better understand the cultural and historical context in which these works were created and appreciate its enduring influence.

• Evoking Awe and Terror in the Art of Caspar David Friedrich and J.M.W. Turner.
• Learn more about the occult in the works of Samuel Taylor coleridge and William Blake.
• Did the Portrayal of Femininity in the Works of Jane Austen, Eugène Delacroix, and William Blake Romanticize Women?
• Explore Turner and Wordsworth’s responses to the Industrial Revolution.
• Delacroix and the Impact of the French Revolution on the Romantic Movement.
• How Did Wordsworth and Goethe Portray Childhood?

The Art Influence of Mannerism

The Mannerist period followed the High Renaissance and preceded the Baroque era. Its highlights include the works of artists such as Michelangelo and Tintoretto, who created some of the era’s most beautiful and thought-provoking pieces.

• A Study of the Relationship between Artistic Style and Religious Change in Europe.
• Find Out More about Innovative Techniques and Styles Used by Mannerist Portraitists.
• Research about Michelangelo’s Influence on the Development of the Mannerist Style.
• Write an Article about the Innovations Employed by the Painter Bronzino.
• How Was the Relationship between Cellini and Michelangelo?
• A Comparative Study of Female Portrayals by Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana.
• Innovative Techniques Used by Mannerist Artists in Their Departure from Classical Tradition.

The Post-impressionist Art Movement

Post-impressionism was a reaction against the limitations of impressionism. They sought to expand the boundaries of art by exploring new techniques, emphasizing individual expression, and infusing their works with symbolic meaning.

• Examine How Post-impressionist Painters Used Colour to Convey Emotion and Atmosphere.
• The Evolution of Pointillism from Seurat to Pissarro and Van Gogh.
• Discuss the Influence of Scientific Theories on the Development of Post-impressionist Painting Techniques.
• The Influence of Music on Gauguin and Kandinsky’s Post-impressionist Works.
• What Was the Legacy of Post-impressionism in the Paintings of Fauvists and Expressionists Such as Vlaminck and Nolde?

Surrealism in Art History

Surrealism sought to challenge the rationality and logic of Western thought, emphasizing the power of the unconscious mind. Surrealist artists sought to create works that blurred the lines between reality and fantasy.

• Breaking Barriers and Boundaries: Feminist Critique of Surrealist Art.
• How Did Surrealism Represent Sexuality and Desire in Its Artworks?
• Dreams and the Unconscious: Surrealism’s Gateway to the Psyche.
• What Was the Role of Surrealism in the Construction of Gender Identity?
• From Art to Advertising: Surrealist Techniques in Marketing.
• How Did Surrealism Represent the Non-human?

The Highlights of Cubism

Cubism is an art movement where Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque revolutionized traditional forms of representation by breaking down objects into geometric shapes. Here are some ideas of themes for your next art research paper regarding Cubism.

• Study the Impacts of Cubist Paintings on American Artists Such as Stuart Davis and Charles Demuth.
• The Role of Cubism in Modern Graphic Design: A Comparative Analysis of the Work of Cassandre and Moholy-Nagy.
• The Relationship between Cubist Art and Literature and How It Influenced the Trajectory of James Joyce and Gertrude Stein.
• A Comparative Study of the Depiction of Time in the Paintings of Picasso and Braque.
• Find Out How Jazz and African Rhythms Influenced the Development of Cubism.

The Avant-garde Art Topics

The Avant-garde art movement pushed art boundaries, experimenting with new techniques, materials, and subject matter. In these topics, college students can explore the critical characteristics of this art style.

• What Was the Role of Marcel Duchamp in Shaping the Avant-Garde Movement?
• Learn More about Kazimir Malevich’s “Black Square” Significance in Avant-Garde Art.
• How Did the Work of Francis Picabia Challenge Traditional Notions of Art and Beauty?
• Examine the Impact of Futurism on Avant-Garde Art through the Creation of Umberto Boccioni.
• Understand the Use of Technology in Avant-Garde Art through the Work of Nam June Paik.

The Expressionist Art Movement

Expressionist artists sought to convey intense emotions through their works, rejecting traditional forms of representation in favour of abstraction and distortion. This list will explore the critical characteristics of Expressionism, examining its cultural and historical context.

• What Was the Influence of Expressionism on Abstract Art: From the Work of Rothko and Newman.
• Nature in Expressionist Art: A Survey of the Creation of Emil Nolde and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
• Deep Dive into German Expressionism’s Impact on Modern Art Development.
• Expressionism and the Representation of War: A Comparative Analysis of Dix and Grosz’s Depictions of World War I.
• Analyze How Religion Existed in the Expressionist Movement, Englobing Marc Chagall’s Work and Its Relationship to Mysticism.
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Topics on Dadaism

The Dadaist era was famous for its irreverent humour and rejection of logic and reason. By reviewing the Dadaist age, we can better understand how art can be used as a social and political critique.

• A Study of the Use of Humor in the Work of Duchamp and Ernst during Dadaism.
• How Was the National Identity Represented in Dadaism in the Work of Huelsenbeck and Grosz?
• Trace the Dadaist Roots in the Cultural and Political Context of the Early 20th Century.
• Analyze How Dadaists Turned Chance and Accident into Creative Tools.
• Examine How Artists Used Collage and Photomontage to Challenge Traditional Notions of Art during Dadaism.
• Trace the Journey of Francis Picabia’s Shifting Style in the Dada Movement.
• Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades and the Subversive Legacy of Dadaism.

Pop Art Debate Topics

Pop Art is a visual arts movement that appropriated popular cultural imagery and techniques, challenging traditional fine art concepts. With their lasting influence, these art epochs are exciting topics for research papers for college students.

• How Did Pop Art Reflect and Critique Consumer Culture and Consumerism?
• Analyze the Art and Influence of Andy Warhol and How He Contributed to the Development of the Movement.
• How Did Pop Art Appropriate and Recontextualize Advertising Imagery?
• Examine How Female Artists Contributed to Pop Art and How They Challenged Traditional Gender Roles.
• How Did Roy Lichtenstein Contribute to Developing Graphic Novel-Inspired Imagery in Pop Art?
• Analyze How Pop Art Has Influenced and Been Influenced by Digital Media.

Art Education Research Topics in the 16th Century

• Discover the Artistic Innovations of Bruegel, Bosch, and Dürer in the Northern Renaissance.
• Why Was the Artistic Response to the Catholic Church’s Reforms Called Counter-Reformation Art?
• Venetian Renaissance: The Colorful and Opulent Art of Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese.
• Emphasize the Artistic Achievements of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals.
• What Did the Spanish Golden Age Contribute through the Work of Velázquez, Murillo, and Zurbarán?
• Understand Mannerist Architecture and Its Ornate and Playful Buildings of Italy’s Palladio, Vignola, and Scamozzi.
• What Happened When Rococo’s Lavish and Ornamental Style Was Present in Boucher, Fragonard, and Watteau’s Work?

Cool Art Ideas during the 17th Century

• The Realistic and Genre Scenes of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals in Dutch Baroque.
• The Theatrical Style of Poussin, Le Brun, and Lorrain of the Baroque Period in France.
• Naturalistic Art in the Flemish Baroque of Rubens, Van Dyck, and Jordaens in Flanders.
• The Emotive and Dramatic Style of Caravaggio, Bernini, and Borromini in the Italian Baroque.
• The Revival of Classical Antiquity in European Art and Design through Neoclassicism.
• The Mastery of Detail in the Dutch Still Life Paintings by Willem Kalf, Pieter Claesz, and Rachel Ruysch.
• Illustrating the Contrast of Light and Dark in the Paintings of Velázquez and Zurbarán.
• Flemish Still Life Painting: The Richness in the Works of Jan Davidsz de Heem, Clara Peeters, and Osias Beert.

Research Papers on Art Produced during the 18th Century

• The Ornate and Playful Rococo Art by Watteau, Boucher, and Fragonard in France.
• The Revival of Classical Antiquity in European Art, Architecture, and Design in the Rising of Neoclassicism.
• Depictions of Natural Beauty by Gainsborough, Constable, and Turner in 18th-Century British Landscape Paintings.
• The Development of a New Style in Portraiture, Landscape, and Still Life Painting in American Colonial Art.
• Intricacy and Elegance of Porcelain, Jade, and Lacquer Ware Developed during the Qing Dynasty in China.
• Discover Indian Miniature Painting through Its Colorful and Narrative Art of Mughal and Rajput Courts.
• The Use of the Contrast of Light and Dark in the Spanish Baroque, Illustrated by the Works of Velázquez and Zurbarán.
• Extravagant and Sensuous Italian Rococo Paintings by Tiepolo, Guardi, and Canaletto in Italy.

The 19th Century Artistic Styles

• Understand the Depiction of Everyday Life and Social Issues through the Realism of Courbet, Millet, and Daumier.
• The Curvilinear and Organic Designs of Art Nouveau in European Architecture and Decorative Arts.
• Find Out What Is behind the Mystical Art of Moreau, Redon, and Klimt.
• The Romantic and Medieval Style in Painting, Poetry, and Design in the Pre-raphaelite Period.
• Study the Hudson River School and the Landscape Painting Movement Focusing on Cole, Church, and Bierstadt.
• The Exotic and Colorful Japanese Woodblock Prints of Ukiyo-E, with Focus on Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro.
• Academic Classicism Focused on the Preservation of Traditional Techniques, Emphasizing on Bouguereau, Gérôme, and Leighton.
• The Bold and Vibrant Use of Color in Fauvism by Matisse, Derain, and Vlaminck.

The 20th Century’s Artistic Characteristics

• The Breaking Down of Reality and Perception in Cubism by Pablo Picasso and Braque.
• The Works of Munch, Kirchner, and Schiele Show the Emotion and Inner Feelings in Expressionism.
• The Celebration of Technology, Movement, and Modernity through Futurism by Boccioni and Balla.
• The Large-Scale and Gestural Art Movement by Jackson Pollock, Rothko, and de Kooning during Abstract Expressionism.
• The Simplification and Reduction of Form in Minimalism, with Focus on Judd, Flavin, and Andre.
• The Emphasis on Ideas over Aesthetics Inspired Conceptual Art Constructed by Kosuth, Weiner, and Acconci.
• The Return to Figurative and Emotional Art in Neo-Expressionism with Focus on Basquiat, Schnabel, and Kiefer.

Contemporary Art History Topics

• How the International Art Market Is Changing the Art Landscape through Globalization.
• Examine the Continuing Impact of Pop Art on Contemporary Art Practices.
• Explore the Relationship between Street Art and Mainstream Art Institutions.
• How Are Artists Using Their Work to Address Race, Gender, and Sexuality?
• Examine How Painters Incorporate New Technologies and Techniques into Their Work.
• Analyze How Performance Art Challenges Traditional Notions of Art and Audience Participation.
• Explore How Contemporary Artists Challenge the Status Quo and What Constitutes Art in the Last Centuries.

Mexican Revolutionary Art Research Paper Topics

The Mexican Revolution was a significant political change in Mexico. Revolutionary art emerged as a powerful tool for propaganda and expressed the hopes and aspirations of the Mexican people. These themes exemplify some of the most interesting paintings to write about.

• Art Contribution to the Mexican Revolutionary Movement.
• Analyze How Artists Portrayed Revolutionary Heroes Such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa.
• Examine How Muralists Such as Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco Used Art to Promote Social Change.
• Artists’ Representation of Indigenous People during the Revolutionary Period.
• Explore How Mexican Revolutionary Art Has Influenced and Inspired Artists in Mexico and Beyond.

Architecture Research Paper Topics

• An Analysis of Organic Forms and Materials in Santiago Calatrava’s Designs.
• Write a Critical Analysis of Zaha Hadid’s Visionary Designs.
• Examine How Shigeru Ban’s Designs Address Social and Environmental Challenges.
• Build a Historical Overview of the Green Building Movement and Its Influence on Contemporary Architecture.
• Analyze the Effects of Colonialism on the Built Environment of Former Colonies.

Theater Research Paper Ideas

• Carry an Examination of the Role of Emotion and Empathy in Theater Performance.
• Start a Comparative Study of Emerging Trends and Innovations in Contemporary Theater Production.
• Analyzing the Legacy of Ancient Dramaturgy on Modern Performance.
• What Are the Techniques and Styles of Julie Taymor and Her Impact on Modern Stagecraft?
• The Political Satire of George Bernard Shaw: An Examination of His Use of Humor and Wit in Social Critique.

The Study of Photography as Research about Art

• What Is the Relationship between Photography and Memory, and How Do Photographs Shape Our Perceptions of the Past?
• How Did Modern Society Revolutionize the Use of Photography in Advertising, and What Are the Effects on Consumer Behaviour?
• The Intersection of Photography and Architecture: How Photographers Capture the Urban Environment.
• Discover the Role of War Photography in Documenting and Promoting Social Justice.
• Analyze How Photos Can Be Used as a Tool for Scientific Research and New Technological Discoveries.
• The Rise of Digital Photography and Its Effects on the Field.
• Explore How Photographers Portray and Challenge Traditional Gender Roles and Identities in Contemporary Photography.

Artist Biography Ideas

• Vincent Van Gogh: The Tragic Life of a Misunderstood Artist.
• A Biography of the Groundbreaking American Impressionist Painter, Mary Cassatt.
• Diego Rivera: The Life and Work of the Revolutionary Mexican Muralist.
• Learn More about the History and Art of the Bold and Trailblazing Baroque Painter Artemisia Gentileschi.
• AI Weiwei: The Activism of the Contemporary Chinese Artist and Dissident.
• The Artistic Legacy of Gustav Klimt, the Austrian Symbolist Painter.
• Frida Kahlo: The Work of the Iconic Mexican Surrealist Artist.
• What Are the Most Interesting Parts of the American Neo-Expressionist Painter Jean-Michel Basquiat Journey?

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Art Topics Ideas Base on the Artists of the 18th Century

• Explore the Satirical Art of the British Painter and Printmaker William Hogarth.
• How Was the Life of Rococo and French Artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard?
• Thomas Gainsborough: The Artistic Legacy of the English Portrait Painter.
• What Were the Achievements of the Swiss-English Neoclassical Artist Angelica Kauffman?
• Understand How the French Revolution Was Seen through the Artistic Vision of the Painter Jacques-Louis David.
• The Hidden Meanings behind the English Portrait Painter Joshua Reynolds.
• What Was the Artistic Legacy of the Pioneering French Portrait Painter éLisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun?

Artists of the 19th Century

• Gustave Courbet: The Artistic Vision of the French Realist Painter.
• The Sculptures of Auguste Rodin and His Legacy in 19th-Century France.
• What Were the Artistic Achievements of the American Portrait Painter John Singer Sargent?
• Get a Grasp of the Legacy of One of the Most Iconic French Modernist Painters, éDouard Manet.
• How Was Impressionism Present in the Body of Work from French Impressionist Painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir?
• Mary Cassatt: The Artistic Contributions of the American Impressionist Painter.
• Find Out More about the History behind the Evolution of the French Post-impressionist Painter Paul Gauguin.

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10 Topic Ideas for Art History Papers

• Art History
• Architecture
• Ph.D., Art History, City University of New York Graduate Center
• M.A., Art History, State University of New York at Binghamton
• B.A., Art History, State University of New York at Binghamton

If you have been assigned a paper for art history class , you know how overwhelming this can be, with thousands of years of art history to consider. Here are 10 topics that might fire you up for the task. Consider each of the topic ideas and examples to help you find your own inspiration.

Analyze One Work of Art

ERIC FEFERBERG / Getty Images 

Research and analyze a specific work of art.

For example, Leonardo da Vinci's  Mona Lisa  painting may be the most famous painting in the world. It is probably also the best-known example of sfumato, a painting technique partly responsible for her enigmatic smile.

Compare and Contrast Works From One Movement

Cate Gillon / Getty Images

Research a particular movement of art, such as  Color Field Painting , which was practiced by the Abstract Expressionist family of artists.

Like Action Painting, the Color Field artists treat the surface of a canvas or paper as a "field" of vision, without a central focus, and emphasize the flatness of the surface. Color Field Painting is less about the process of making the work, which is at the heart of Action Painting: instead, Color Field is about the tension created by overlapping and interacting areas of flat color.

Write a Screenplay About an Artist's Life

Francis G. Mayer  / Getty Images

Research an artist's life and write an interpretation of his or her biography as if it were a movie.

For example, Gustave Courbet was a French painter best known as one of the founders of the Realism movement during the 19th century. He worked on still-life paintings, landscapes, and human figures, and often addressed social issues in his work. Some of his paintings were considered controversial by contemporary audiences.

Write About One Notable Museum and Its Collection

rarrarorro / Getty Images

Write about the history of one particular museum.

Founded in 1929, the Museum of Modern Art, known as MoMA, has a collection that includes examples of modern art from the late 19th century to the present day. The collection represents diverse forms of visual expression that encompass modern art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, films, drawings, illustrations, architecture, and design.

Challenge a 'Myth' About a Famous Artist

Mario Tama  / Getty Images

Investigate a popular myth about an artist and write a paper challenging the myth and providing evidence of the truth.

Although the story goes that post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) sold only one painting during his short life, there is some evidence that is not true. The one painting commonly thought to have been sold is The Red Vineyard at Arles ( The Vigne Rouge ). But some sources claim that different paintings sold first, and that other van Gogh paintings and drawings were sold or bartered.

Investigate an Artist's Technique and Media

Carl Court / Getty Images

Look into a well-known artist's techniques and the media he or she was known for or which the artist popularized.

The drip paintings of Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock are among the best-known paintings of the 20th century. When Pollock moved from easel painting to dripping or pouring paint onto a canvas spread on the floor, he was able to create long, continuous lines impossible to get by applying paint to a canvas with a brush.

Challenge Your Comfort Zone

Leemage  / Getty Images

Write about a style or artist you are not as familiar with.

The French artist Georges Seurat introduced Neo-Impressionism , as seen in his 1883 painting "Bathers at Asnieres." To develop his new concept, Seurat studied color theory publications produced by Charles Blanc, Michel Eugène Chevreul, and Ogden Rood. He also formulated a precise application of painted dots that would mix optically for maximum brilliance. He called this system Chromoluminarism.

Explore the Historical Significance of a Museum

Write a different kind of paper on a museum, this time exploring the museum itself and its architecture.

Housed in famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright's beautiful white building, the Guggenheim 's spiral structure offers visitors an intriguing path to travel while exploring the museum's collection and exhibitions that feature modern paintings, sculpture, and film.

Investigate an Artist's Life and Work

ShaBMan567 / Wikipedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Write about an artist's life story.

As an undergraduate at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Alma Woodsey Thomas (1921–1924) studied with African-American artist James V. Herring (1887–1969), who founded the art department in 1922, and Lois Mailou Jones (1905–1998). Woodsey Thomas was the first Fine Arts major to graduate from Howard. In 1972, she became the first African-American woman artist to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Investigate One Period in an Artist's Life

Heritage Images / Getty Images 

Research a particular time in one artist's life or works.

Pablo Picasso became universally famous in his own lifetime as the first artist to successfully use mass media to further his name. He also inspired or, in the notable case of Cubism, invented, nearly every art movement in the 20th century. Before and shortly after moving to Paris, Picasso's painting was in its "Blue Period" (1900–1904).

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• Origins and Schools of Abstract Art
• The Life and Art of Mark Rothko
• Biography of Cy Twombly, Romantic Symbolist Artist
• Biography of Clyfford Still, Abstract Expressionist Painter
• Biography of Milton Avery, American Modernist Painter
• The Soak-Stain Painting Technique of Helen Frankenthaler
• 7 Major Painting Styles—From Realism to Abstract
• The Post-Impressionist Movement
• Biography of Hans Hofmann, Abstract Expressionism Pioneer
• Biography of Kazimir Malevich, Russian Abstract Art Pioneer

Art: Topics in Art History

• Topics in Art History
• Journal Articles
• Reference Resources
• Internet Resources
• Image Resources
• Citing Sources
• Interlibrary Loan & Copy Service
• Art Faculty Books
• Artists' Books

Finding relevant resources

Research topics in art history can be rich combinations of themes and influences. You may begin to develop your topic with a specific country or geographic area in mind.  Studies often focus on a particular artist and interpretations of style.  Materials, such as porcelain or bronze, and specific techniques such as fresco, watercolor or engraving are also rewarding areas for research.  Combining materials and styles in a particular place or period of time is a common way to develop a more complex research topic. For example, what are some of the key features of Abstract Expressionist painting? What materials have been used in feminist body art? Are there common motifs used in Scandinavian weaving and embroidery?

To develop complex topics further, consider a specific time period, a specific location, or specific practitioners. Who are some of Mexico's women photographers and what are key features in their work? What are differences in the graffiti art of Los Angeles and New York City? Is there a Pacific Northwest style of art?

The study of art history includes terms describing styles and periods that are central concepts in the discipline. Distinct historical time periods such as Hellenistic, Medieval and Renaissance can serve as organizing concepts to describe significant periods artistic activity. Other important organizing concepts refer to stylist attributes, such as Mannerist, Gothic, or Moderne. Sometimes specific groups of artists give rise to a school of work that refers both to stylistic or philosophical tendencies called movements or genres. Fauvism, Bauhaus, and Postmodern are examples of this.

Develop a research plan

Develop your research topic..

What are the key concepts of your topic?  Can you broaden or narrow your focus?  Are you researching a particular artist?

Consider focusing on one or more of the following:

• time period
• specific event   
• specific people
• historic events of the time

Does your topic overlap other subject areas such as anthropology, geography or political science?

Think of 2- 3 questions that you will need to explore.

• Think about the artist you are researching and the artist's major influences.
• Who were the major patrons of the artist?  Did the artist use recurring subjects? 
• What was the historical period of your topic and its categories.
• Who were the important people? What did they do? What happened that was significant?

Under each question, think about the following aspects:

• What do you already know about your artist, topic or issue?
• What do you need to learn to better understand your artist, topic or issue?
• What kind of information or resource might provide the answer to these questions?
• Are there new developments in this field of research?

Consider your audience.

• Who will read your paper?
• Why will it be of interest to them?
• What will be new to them?
• How will you distinguish your findings from the research in other publications on the same topic?

Sample research topics

The research topics below combine style periods with individual artists and examples of a particular work of that artist along with an interpretation of that work. 

Parmigianino’s Antea

Parmigianino’s Antea ( c. 1535-1537 ) Museo di Capodimonte. [Image courtesy of ARTstor.]

Using keywords

Before you begin your research, review keywords that will help you locate relevant material.

Examples of periods and styles:

• Mesopotamian
• Hellenistic
• Renanissance
• Mesoamerican

Examples of movements and genres:

• Romanticism
• Impressionism
• Neoclassicism
• Abstract Expressionism
• Art Nouveau
• Digital Art

Examples of materials and techniques:

• illustration
• woodblock prints
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Art History Resources

• Guidelines for Analysis of Art
• Formal Analysis Paper Examples

Guidelines for Writing Art History Research Papers

• Oral Report Guidelines
• Annual Arkansas College Art History Symposium

Writing a paper for an art history course is similar to the analytical, research-based papers that you may have written in English literature courses or history courses. Although art historical research and writing does include the analysis of written documents, there are distinctive differences between art history writing and other disciplines because the primary documents are works of art. A key reference guide for researching and analyzing works of art and for writing art history papers is the 10th edition (or later) of Sylvan Barnet’s work, A Short Guide to Writing about Art . Barnet directs students through the steps of thinking about a research topic, collecting information, and then writing and documenting a paper.

A website with helpful tips for writing art history papers is posted by the University of North Carolina.

Wesleyan University Writing Center has a useful guide for finding online writing resources.

The following are basic guidelines that you must use when documenting research papers for any art history class at UA Little Rock. Solid, thoughtful research and correct documentation of the sources used in this research (i.e., footnotes/endnotes, bibliography, and illustrations**) are essential. Additionally, these guidelines remind students about plagiarism, a serious academic offense.

Paper Format

Research papers should be in a 12-point font, double-spaced. Ample margins should be left for the instructor’s comments. All margins should be one inch to allow for comments. Number all pages. The cover sheet for the paper should include the following information: title of paper, your name, course title and number, course instructor, and date paper is submitted. A simple presentation of a paper is sufficient. Staple the pages together at the upper left or put them in a simple three-ring folder or binder. Do not put individual pages in plastic sleeves.

Documentation of Resources

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), as described in the most recent edition of Sylvan Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing about Art is the department standard. Although you may have used MLA style for English papers or other disciplines, the Chicago Style is required for all students taking art history courses at UA Little Rock. There are significant differences between MLA style and Chicago Style. A “Quick Guide” for the Chicago Manual of Style footnote and bibliography format is found http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. The footnote examples are numbered and the bibliography example is last. Please note that the place of publication and the publisher are enclosed in parentheses in the footnote, but they are not in parentheses in the bibliography. Examples of CMS for some types of note and bibliography references are given below in this Guideline. Arabic numbers are used for footnotes. Some word processing programs may have Roman numerals as a choice, but the standard is Arabic numbers. The use of super script numbers, as given in examples below, is the standard in UA Little Rock art history papers.

The chapter “Manuscript Form” in the Barnet book (10th edition or later) provides models for the correct forms for footnotes/endnotes and the bibliography. For example, the note form for the FIRST REFERENCE to a book with a single author is:

1 Bruce Cole, Italian Art 1250-1550 (New York: New York University Press, 1971), 134.

But the BIBLIOGRAPHIC FORM for that same book is:

Cole, Bruce. Italian Art 1250-1550. New York: New York University Press. 1971.

The FIRST REFERENCE to a journal article (in a periodical that is paginated by volume) with a single author in a footnote is:

2 Anne H. Van Buren, “Madame Cézanne’s Fashions and the Dates of Her Portraits,” Art Quarterly 29 (1966): 199.

The FIRST REFERENCE to a journal article (in a periodical that is paginated by volume) with a single author in the BIBLIOGRAPHY is:

Van Buren, Anne H. “Madame Cézanne’s Fashions and the Dates of Her Portraits.” Art Quarterly 29 (1966): 185-204.

If you reference an article that you found through an electronic database such as JSTOR, you do not include the url for JSTOR or the date accessed in either the footnote or the bibliography. This is because the article is one that was originally printed in a hard-copy journal; what you located through JSTOR is simply a copy of printed pages. Your citation follows the same format for an article in a bound volume that you may have pulled from the library shelves. If, however, you use an article that originally was in an electronic format and is available only on-line, then follow the “non-print” forms listed below.

B. Non-Print

Citations for Internet sources such as online journals or scholarly web sites should follow the form described in Barnet’s chapter, “Writing a Research Paper.” For example, the footnote or endnote reference given by Barnet for a web site is:

3 Nigel Strudwick, Egyptology Resources , with the assistance of The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University, 1994, revised 16 June 2008, http://www.newton.ac.uk/egypt/ , 24 July 2008.

If you use microform or microfilm resources, consult the most recent edition of Kate Turabian, A Manual of Term Paper, Theses and Dissertations. A copy of Turabian is available at the reference desk in the main library.

C. Visual Documentation (Illustrations)

Art history papers require visual documentation such as photographs, photocopies, or scanned images of the art works you discuss. In the chapter “Manuscript Form” in A Short Guide to Writing about Art, Barnet explains how to identify illustrations or “figures” in the text of your paper and how to caption the visual material. Each photograph, photocopy, or scanned image should appear on a single sheet of paper unless two images and their captions will fit on a single sheet of paper with one inch margins on all sides. Note also that the title of a work of art is always italicized. Within the text, the reference to the illustration is enclosed in parentheses and placed at the end of the sentence. A period for the sentence comes after the parenthetical reference to the illustration. For UA Little Rcok art history papers, illustrations are placed at the end of the paper, not within the text. Illustration are not supplied as a Powerpoint presentation or as separate .jpgs submitted in an electronic format.

Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream, dated 1893, represents a highly personal, expressive response to an experience the artist had while walking one evening (Figure 1).

The caption that accompanies the illustration at the end of the paper would read:

Figure 1. Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893. Tempera and casein on cardboard, 36 x 29″ (91.3 x 73.7 cm). Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo, Norway.

Plagiarism is a form of thievery and is illegal. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, to plagiarize is to “take and pass off as one’s own the ideas, writings, etc. of another.” Barnet has some useful guidelines for acknowledging sources in his chapter “Manuscript Form;” review them so that you will not be mguilty of theft. Another useful website regarding plagiarism is provided by Cornell University, http://plagiarism.arts.cornell.edu/tutorial/index.cfm

Plagiarism is a serious offense, and students should understand that checking papers for plagiarized content is easy to do with Internet resources. Plagiarism will be reported as academic dishonesty to the Dean of Students; see Section VI of the Student Handbook which cites plagiarism as a specific violation. Take care that you fully and accurately acknowledge the source of another author, whether you are quoting the material verbatim or paraphrasing. Borrowing the idea of another author by merely changing some or even all of your source’s words does not allow you to claim the ideas as your own. You must credit both direct quotes and your paraphrases. Again, Barnet’s chapter “Manuscript Form” sets out clear guidelines for avoiding plagiarism.

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Art History Research at Yale: How to Research Art

• How to Research Art
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Starting Your Research

Before you begin conducting research, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions:

1. What’s my topic? Review your assignment closely and choose an appropriate topic. Is this topic about a single artist or an art movement? Is it a study of one work or a body of works? How long is the paper—will you need a basic overview, or detailed analysis? Guiding questions such as these can help you determine what the best approach to your research will be. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can ask your professor for guidance, and you can always contact an Arts Librarian using their contact information on this page.

2. Which sources are best for my topic? With infinite time, you would want to read everything available, but there are often resources that are more applicable depending on your research topic. How to Find Art Resources provides more detailed information about choosing helpful sources based on general topics. Watch this video for brief instructions on how to find information on a work of art at the Yale University Art Gallery.

3. How will I manage and cite my sources? When you turn in your paper or presentation, you will need to provide citations in keeping with the preferred citation style. Keeping on top of your citations as you work through your research will save time and stress when you are finishing your project. All Yale students have access to tools to keep citations organized, generate a bibliography, and create footnotes/endnotes. For a quick guide, see How to Cite Your Sources , and more guidance is available on the Citation Management guide .

Related Guides for Art History Research at Yale

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198 Art History Thesis Topics: Best Ideas

Did you know that on this page, you can find 198 original art history thesis topics that you can’t find anywhere else? Our art experts and professional writers have created this list over the last couple of months. In fact, we are updating the list periodically to make sure each student who visits our blog has the chance to find a unique topic that he or she can write a thesis on.

In addition to the exceptional topics, we also have some tips and tricks on how to write the perfect thesis without spending months working on it. This blog post includes the chapters you need to write (with a short explanation of each one), as well as some of the things you need to keep in mind when writing a thesis. Let’s get started!

Writing the Best Art History Thesis Paper

As you probably know already, finding some original art history thesis topics is just one part of the thesis writing process. Because we know most students don’t have any experience writing theses, we will briefly talk about some of the key characteristics of a good thesis paper. We will start with the structure. Here are the main chapters you should have in your paper:

Introduction:  This is the part where you will present your thesis statement, as well as discuss the significance of your thesis and present the research questions, limitations and assumptions. Review of Related Literature:  Use this chapter to discuss what you have learned from other works in your field that pertain to your chosen topic. Show your readers why your research is relevant to the topic. Design and Methodology:  In this chapter, you will need to present the design and discuss the methods you have used to gather the data or the evidence to support your thesis statement. A reader should be able to replicate your study after reading this chapter. Findings:  This is the part where you can discuss your findings and show your readers why and how they support your thesis. You can include a part where you make recommendations for further research, if necessary. Conclusion:  The final chapter of your paper, the Conclusion is the place where you summarize everything and reemphasize the main points of your paper. Refrain from introducing any new information here.

Apart from structuring your thesis correctly, you should keep a few other important things in mind. Here are some of the things that will help you get a better grade on your research paper, according to our expert academic writers:

Make sure you only gather data from reliable sources. Also, remember to cite and reference each source you use. Format your thesis correctly, in accordance with the guidelines in the style book. Each style (APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, etc.) has a style book that you can usually find online for free. Edit your work thoroughly and make sure your logic and clarity are perfect. Also make sure you are not using technical terms that you have not defined previously. Think about what examiners want to see or try to learn what they are looking for. After all, you want a top grade, don’t you? Do your best to come up with a unique, interesting thesis. Think long and hard about how you will write the thesis statement. Get feedback from your supervisor as early as possible. This can prevent some serious delays and rewrites. Find some original art history thesis topics and choose the one you think would thrill the evaluation committee.

Fortunately for you, the last tip is something we can help you with right now. We have 198 original art history thesis topics right here on this page. You can use any of them for free. No, you don’t even need to give us any credit. That is our thesis writing help to begin with going through these topics shouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes, so what are you waiting for?

Easy Thesis Topics in Art History

We’ll start our list with some easy thesis topics in art history. Choose any of these ideas if you want to spend as little time as possible writing your paper:

• Discuss the Gothic stained glass
• Compare ancient Egyptian and Roman art
• The important of Mona Lisa
• An in-depth look at the Romanesque style
• An in-depth look at Amarna Art
• Discuss art in the Golden Age
• Analyze the life of Claude Monet
• What is reformed naturalism?
• Peculiarities of the surrealist movement
• Discuss art in the Notre Dame
• Talk about sculptures in a cathedral of your choice
• Research the life of Picasso
• Talk about political views in sculpture
• The peculiarities of Gothic art
• How important are recurring subjects in art?

Art History Research Questions

The best way to come up with a great topic is to go through some art history research questions. To help you out, we have compiled a list of the best ones below:

• What is photogravure and why is it important?
• What are the peculiarities of Scandinavian weaving?
• What are some characteristics of Egyptian art?
• How important is art as part of the curriculum?
• What is the role of life in modern art?
• Which artist had the biggest influence on contemporary art?
• What makes Gothic paintings special?
• Can you talk about the Dadaist movement?
• What is real art?
• Can you talk about the history is symbols in Gothic paintings?
• How did art evolve in Ancient Rome?
• Why is Leonardo Da Vinci so popular?
• How important is nature in ancient art?
• When did Cubism first appear?
• How were ancient works of art preserved?

Art in the 19th Century Topics

In case you want to write a thesis on 19th century art, you have arrived at the right place. Here are some of the best art in the 19th century topics:

• Discuss European painting in the 19th century
• Modernism in the 19th century
• The history of surrealism
• Talk about the focus of 19th century art
• The history of cubism
• The history of symbolism
• Research the Industrial Revolution in art
• Compare symbolism and cubism
• Talk about the Enlightenment movement
• What influenced modern art in the 19th century?

Art History Thesis Topics on the Late Gothic Period

Our experienced writers managed to create a list of art history thesis topics on the late gothic period that you will absolutely love:

• Discuss the vaulted hall churches in Germany
• Major themes in late Gothic sculptures
• Differences between Renaissance and late Gothic art
• Talk about the British Perpendicular style
• Discuss the Flamboyant style
• Compare and contrast the Flamboyant and Perpendicular styles
• Major themes in late Gothic paintings
• The main symbols of Gothic art
• Research the late gothic era in France
• What is the tracery window?

Art History Senior Thesis Topics

Are you working on a senior thesis in art history and need some inspiration? All you have to do is pick one of our art history senior thesis topics for free and start writing:

• Talk about manuscripts in Modernist paintings
• A closer look at the Romanesque style
• The role of life in art
• The history of photography as an art
• An in-depth look at Neoclassicist sculptures
• Art on the Great Wall in China
• Discuss the importance of recurring subjects in art
• The role of nature in art
• An in-depth look at Christian symbols in art
• The first musical instruments

Undergraduate Art History Thesis Topics

Of course, our list of topics would not be complete without some ideas for undergrads. Here are the undergraduate art history thesis topics we think will perform best in 2023:

• Research the Statue of Zeus
• Famous impressionists
• Talk about stained glass windows
• Talk about 3 important Greek sculptures
• Discuss the film industry in Bollywood
• Research the history of pop art
• Primitivism: is it an art?
• Research the history of Venetian carnival masks
• Differences between modernism and cubism
• Discuss the Rococo movement

Art History Photography Thesis Topics

Interested in writing about photography? After all, it is art. Don’t worry about it; we’ve got your back. Here are some original art history photography thesis topics:

• Discuss the history of photography
• Are photographs works of art?
• Famous artworks that are photographs
• Latest advancements in photographic technology
• An in-depth look at lighting and its uses
• Research 3 artists that have made an art out of photography
• An in-depth look at the purpose of photography
• Research the first photo camera
• Famous photographs in art museums in your area
• The life and work of Ansel Adams
• The role of Jonas Leriche in photography
• Discuss the role of the background in photography
• How important is the camera for a photographer?
• What makes a good photographer?

Popular Art History Thesis Topics

If you’re looking for the most popular art history thesis topics, we have some great news for you. We have an entire list of them right here:

• Discuss the Art Nouveau style
• What makes Pablo Picasso’s paintings remarkable?
• An in-depth look at photorealism
• Discuss funerary art in ancient Egypt
• Research the history of Chinese art
• Discuss the role of the abstract in modern paintings
• Composite styles in ancient Rome paintings
• Discuss the rise of modern art in Europe
• An in-depth look at Biblical motifs in Leonardo Da Vinci’s art
• The first art fair in the world
• Discuss the La Tene Celtic art style
• Discuss art in the Feudal Era
• An in-depth look at the history of Japanese art
• Research Mayan paintings

Art History Thesis Topics Greek

Are you interested in talking about Greek art? Do you want some of the best topics for free? You’re in luck because we have some interesting art history thesis topics greek for you right here:

• Analyze the Kore statue in Greece
• Talk about the Mask of Agamemnon
• Research ancient Greek pottery
• Research the Hades abducting Persephone painting
• Discuss the Coloso de Rodas
• Roman sculptures in ancient Greece
• The history of ancient Greek art
• Research ancient Greek architecture
• Discuss the Geometric period
• Research metalwork art in Greece

Art History Thesis Topics Impressionism

Writing your thesis on a topic related to impressionism will surely impress the evaluation committee and your supervisor. Check out these art history thesis topics impressionism ideas:

• Discuss the Impression, Sunrise by Claude Monet
• Research the styles in The Fighting Temeraire
• The depiction of light in impressionism
• Research Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette
• Discuss the embracement of modernity
• The history of the Impressionist movement
• The main ideas of impressionism
• Talk about the style of open composition
• Discuss unusual visual angles
• Talk about the first impressionist exhibition

Art History Research Topics

Your research paper will be memorable if you choose the right topic for it, guaranteed. Take a look at this brand new list of art history research topics and select the one you like the most:

• Talk about women in art
• The history of modernism
• Architecture as a form of art
• The role of the Trojan Horse
• Talk about art as a form of therapy
• The importance of Francisco de Goya’s paintings
• Dreams in works by Dali
• Discuss the rise of pop art
• Art and autism
• Discuss the Art Deco style

Famous Artists and Their Works

It has been demonstrated that finding new and interesting facts about famous artists can get students some bonus points. Here are some ideas related to famous artists and their works:

• The life and works of Leonardo Da Vinci
• The life and works of Pablo Picasso
• Discuss the most important Warhol sculpture
• Dorothea Lange’s contributions to photograph
• Discuss the works of Zeuxis
• The life and works of Michelangelo
• The life and works of Constantin Brancusi
• The life and works of Vincent Van Gogh
• The importance of Marie Tussaud
• An in-depth look at the history of the Mona Lisa
• The life and works of Alberto Giacometti
• Analyze the works of Apelles (370 BC)
• The life and works of Henry Moore
• The life and works of Rembrandt
• The life and photographs of Ansel Adams

Ancient Art History Research Paper Topics

Our experienced academic writers managed to come up with a nice list of ancient art history research paper topics for students looking to start working on their thesis:

• Talk about ancient art in Palestine
• Research primitive art
• Talk about ancient art in China
• Talk about ancient art in Greece
• Characteristics of ancient art
• Talk about ancient art in Rome
• The first work of art in the world
• Talk about ancient art in India
• Talk about ancient art in Mesopotamia
• Characteristics of Persian art

Compare and Contrast Topics in Art History

If you want to write a compare and contrast paper, you are in luck. We have just added these interesting compare and contrast topics:

• Echion and Polygnotus
• Salvador Dali and Michelangelo
• Modern and contemporary art
• Vincent Van Gogh and Raphael
• Compare and contrast two sculptures of your choice
• Impressionism and cubism
• Claude Monet and Leornardo da Vinci
• Compare and contrast two paintings of your choice
• Protogenes and Apollodorus
• Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo
• Surrealism and modern art
• Rembrandt and Johannes Vermeer
• Compare and contrast two art styles of your choice
• Abstract expressionism and cubism
• Jackson Pollock and Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Controversial Art History Topics

Art history has, like many other fields, plenty of controversies. Why not write your research paper on one of them? Here are some interesting yet controversial art history topics:

• Research the Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe by Édouard Manet
• An in-depth look at Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain
• Discuss the Campbell’s Soup Cans by Andy Warhol
• What makes an art piece controversial?
• Controversies surrounding Pablo Picasso’s Guernica mural
• Controversies in pop art
• Is graffiti an art?

Contemporary Art History Topics

Do you want to write your thesis on a topic in contemporary art? No problem, we’ve got you covered. Check out these awesome contemporary art history topics and choose one for free:

• The life and work of Takashi Murakami
• The importance of Jenny Saville’s work
• Major themes in contemporary paintings
• Talk about contemporary art motifs on jewelry
• The top 3 greatest contemporary artists
• Talk about contemporary music
• Talk about what makes contemporary art unique
• Contemporary art on ceramics

Renaissance and the Middle Ages topics

Stop wasting your time searching for topics and select one of these brand new (100% original) Renaissance and the Middle Ages topics:

• The life and work of Donatello
• Peculiarities of Sandro Botticelli’s paintings
• The history of the La Pieta
• Research the sculptures of Michelangelo
• The painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling
• An in-depth look at The Last Judgment painting
• Styles in Caravaggio’s paintings
• The life and works of Matteo Civitali
• Research the Mona Lisa painting
• The importance of Titian’s painting styles
• Research the history of The Birth of Venus
• The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
• Discuss a painting by Masaccio
• Discuss the David of Michelangelo sculpture
• Research the history of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s sculptures

Get Quality Thesis Writing Help

We know that most students are struggling with their first thesis. Don’t worry, you are certainly not the only one in this position. Truth be told, writing a thesis the right way can be extremely difficult for anyone who has not done it before. This is why, in addition to the exceptional thesis topics art history students are looking for, we are offering top quality custom dissertation help to students who want to get a top grade on their paper.

Get access to an expert online in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is tell us what you need and when you need it. We’ll pair you with one of our professional thesis writers in no time. Are you worried about the quality of our work? We know that the Internet can be a dangerous place, but you can certainly trust us and out experts. Just take a look at the feedback we have received from students like you over the years and decide if you need our services. Our art history thesis writers are ready to start working on your project right now.

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Art History Thesis Topics: 315 Enticing Ideas

Art history entails the study of Art from the ancient era to the present, including cultural ideals, aesthetics, philosophies, and techniques related to Art. People have been immersing themselves in various forms of Art for centuries. As a result, there are a plethora of topics in art history. These topics are the perfect blend of themes and influences. However, it is no surprise that even after these countless research areas, students still need help to choose their topic.

Choosing the right topic is essential for securing top scores. On the contrary, a topic that isn’t worth researching can cost you time, energy, and, most importantly, your grades. Thus, to help students, we have researched some of the most exciting art history thesis topics. Below is a list of some excellent thesis topics that have been thoroughly categorized according to different research areas in art history.

Table of Contents

Essential Suggestions to Choose Excellent Topic

Students can choose their art history topics based on a specific notion, country, or geographic area in mind. According to our expert writers, the ideal topic for a student should be based on a particular form of Art, an artist, or different interpretations of the style.

• Historical periods such as the medieval, Renaissance, and Hellenistic periods are brilliant areas to study the different artistic activities in those times.
• Key organizing notions and stylistic characteristics, such as Mannerism, Gothicism, and Modernism, can also be an exciting art thesis topic.
• Specific groupings of artists can sometimes give rise to excellent art history paper topics relating to artistic and philosophical inclinations known as “movements” or “genres.” These include Fauvism, Bauhaus, and Postmodernism.
• Materials such as porcelain or bronze and specialized methods like fresco, watercolor, or engraving are potentially fruitful study fields in art history. Combining these artistic materials and styles of a particular period or location is the ideal approach to creating the most brilliant topics for all times.
• Another important aspect of framing the best art history topic is using a particular period, location, or artist or practitioner as your topic. An example of such a topic can be Mexico’s women photographers during the late 80s or a comparative analysis of the graffiti art of Los Angeles or New York City.

Art History Thesis Topics

Art history topics provide students with a brilliant opportunity to dive deeper into the world of Art. You get to study an array of enticing concepts revolving around the history of the arts. However, even after the endless list of unique paper ideas, it is no surprise that students still have difficulty selecting their “perfect” topic. Students prefer taking  paper writing help from trustworthy writers at Edumagnate.com. Additionally, we’ve enumerated some unique art history paper topics to help and inspire students to deliver an excellent thesis.

Riveting Modern Art Topics for Art History

Modern Art brings innovation to existing styles, forms, and movements. It has played a significant role in replacing traditional forms of Art by experimenting with shapes, lines, texture, and colors. Writing a thesis from this era would give you a thrilling experience filled with exciting facts and breathtaking art forms. Here are some of the best art history topics based on Modern Art:

• Modern Art from the late 19th century
• A comparative analysis of classical versus modern Art
• Milton Avery, the American modernist painter
• Modern Art and   Desublimation
• Gustav Klimt’s eclectic style in “The Kiss.”
• Essential archives of Modern Art
• A critical review of the effects of globalization on the modern art movements
• The modern arts in Europe: an overview
• Contemporary Art in Zimbabwe
• The European influence on modern Art on American artists
• Caricatures’ Representation of Contemporary Society
• Urban Street Art: The Mysteries of Banksy’s Paintings
• Impressionism vs. Cubism: A Comparative Analysis

Read Also – Sociology Research Topic Ideas

Art History Thesis Topics from the Middle Ages

Art history from this epoch amazes everyone who wants to dig deeper into the interesting facts and theories related to this period. So, if you also enjoy such topics, this section of art history thesis topics on the medieval era might be intriguing to you:

• The recent advancements in the artwork of Raphael
• Critical art history and medieval art literature
• The representation of humanist ideas in the Art of the medieval era
• Frida Kahlo and her creative works in the 20th century
• Mogul paintings: an overview
• The secrets and mysteries associated with the Mona Lisa
• A closer look at Da Vinci’s masterpieces
• Gothic and International Gothic artworks
• A critical analysis of medieval and modern art history
• Elements of Gothic Art
• Discrimination against women in medieval art history
• Gothic Art in the medieval era
• The greatest Russian medieval painters of all time
• History of photography
• The astonishing Art of the Mughal empire
• Evolution of paintings from an art history perspective

Ancient Civilization Art History Thesis Topics

An ancient civilization is considered the cradle of arts. It’s a time of mysteries and secrets. Some artists still draw inspiration from famous ancient artworks. This research section will allow you to dig deeper into the spirits of an ancient civilization. Selecting a topic from this list will help you capture the essence of Art in its raw form. If you want to dig deeper into the field of ancient civilization, here are some inspiring topics for you:

• The Design and Significance of Cartouche in Ancient Egyptian Art
• Mexico’s women photographers during the late 80s
• The Secrets Behind the Art and Architecture of ancient Rome
• The Art of Mesopotamia: Facts and Trends
• Artifact Study Reveals Ancient Chinese Culture Characteristics
• The Sculpture of Mesopotamia
• Chinese Ritual of Bronzes in Ancient China
• The hidden connection between the Egyptian and Mayan pyramids?
• The Secret Facts and Mysteries of Mesoamerican Pyramids
• Early Art in Hinduism
• How Ancient Civilizations Prepared their Way for Modern Art
• Scythian Art Masterpieces: An Overview
• Religion and Culture in Aztec Art
• Traditional Japanese costumes: an overview
• An Introduction to Sumerian Art and Culture
• Ancient Egyptian Funerary Arts
• Traditional Chinese Costumes
• The attributes of Minoan Fresco Paintings
• A comparative analysis between the Celtic art styles of Hallstatt and LA Tene
• The Development of Art in Asia
• The Art of Classical Greece
• A detailed analysis of the artworks of ancient civilization
• Myths and artworks from the ancient civilization
• Music of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
• The ancient heritage spread during the Renaissance
• A detailed study on the Mayan tribes: ancient American civilization
• The Art of the Amarna period in Egypt

Read Also – 120+ Geology Research Topics to Get You Started

Ancient Greek Art History Topics for Thesis

• The influence of ancient Greek theatre on modern theatre
• The secrets and mysteries behind the architecture and Art of ancient Greece
• Artistic production in Ancient Greece
• Poetry in ancient Greece
• Polykleitos: The Ancient Greek Sculptor
• Development of Art in ancient Greece
• Ancient Greek artistic culture during the Archaic
• Inclusion of fresco paintings on ancient Greek structures
• The significant components of ancient Greek and ancient Roman Art
• The significance of pottery and vases in Ancient Greek Art

Art History Topics on Artist Bibliographies

When framing a brilliant research paper, nothing could be better than analyzing the life and works of a prominent personality. You get to analyze their personal and professional lives, their struggles, successes, and downfalls all at the same time. Through the following art history thesis ideas, you will dig deeper into the lives of some of the most influential artists in the art world.

Influential Artists from the 18th Century

• William Blake: A Misunderstood Poet, Visionary, and Artist
• Madame Tussaud’s Long-Lasting Influence on Art
• The Life and Career of William Turner
• Mikhail Lomonosov and His Influence on Science, Education, and Literature
• Francisco de Goya: Creating Art That Changed the World
• The masterpieces of Katsushika Hokusai.
• Francisco Goya, who composed the prominent black paintings
• Marie Tussaud, the French modeler who founded the wax museum
• Exploring the lives of Jacques-Louis David, the finest artist of the 18th century
• The contribution of Eugène Delacroix to the development of Modern Art
• The life of J.M.W. Turner: the magnificent painter and poet
• An introduction to the life of the French painter, Eugène Delacroix
• The Life and Works of John Constable
• Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres: an overview.

Influential Artists from the 19th Century

• Gustav Klimt: The Master of Symbolism
• Claude Manet as a Symbol of Impressionism
• Adolf Menzel and the German Realist Art Period
• Vincent Van Gogh: The Forgotten Genius
• Paul Cezanne and a Shift to 20th-Century Art
• Auguste Renoir, the only surviving Impressionist,
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Innovative Elements and Principles of Art
• Claude Monet: the painter of light and color
• Weird Facts About Vincent Willem Van Gogh
• Alfred Sisley: the most consistent Impressionists

Influential Artists from the 20th Century

• Frida Khalo was a Mexican painter inspired by Mexican artifacts and nature.
• Surrealism through magical realism in Frida Kahlo’s work
• The Art of Pablo Picasso
• Salvador Dali’s Surreal World,
• Andy Warhol, a key player in the Pop Art Movement
• Louise Bourgeois and the Origins of Installation Art in Europe
• Cultural Appropriations and Identificatory in Emily Carr’s Work
• The American Pop Art King, Andy Warhol
• Louise Bourgeois, a pioneer of abstract sculpture and installation art
• The Face of Abstract Expressionism, Jackson Pollock
• The mother of American modernism, Georgia O’Keeffe
• Judy Chicago is a feminist artist, educator, and writer.
• Marcel Duchamp: Conceptual Art, Dada, and Cubism

Read Also – 100+ Anthropology Research Paper Topics

Art History Thesis Topics for Different Epochs

Every creative era introduces fresh ideas to the field of Art. These are the different stylistic trends, the predominating artistic movement, and the methods employed by artists. You may discover a vast array of distinctive artistic and literary styles, techniques, and subjects, as well as all the significant artists who employed them, by concentrating on a particular creative era in the history of Art. Here are a few eras and associated subjects you can pick from.

18th Century

• Influence and Contributions of Denis Diderot’s French Art Criticism
• A Synopsis of Eugene Delacroix’s Career
• How the Culture of Neoclassicism Combines Old and New Ideas
• The Relationship Between the Industrial Revolution and Art Development
• The Late Baroque Style in Architecture
• Art in the Baroque epoch
• The First Vienna School’s Most Notable Alumni Association
• A detailed analysis of the designs of Rococo and Baroque
• The Rococo Style in Interior Design
• Marquis de Sade’s Influence on 18th-Century Literature
• The Characteristics of the Baroque Complex Style

19th Century

• From a Discarded to a Great Artist: A critical analysis of the life of Edouard Manet
• Exposing the Connection Between Goya’s Prints and 19th-century French Caricatures
• Art and education for women in the 19th century
• The Victorian Beauty Codes and How They Were Reflected in Art
• The essence of Giovanni Strazza’s “the veiled virgin” carving
• Why was Paul Gauguin’s artwork called savage?
• Analysis of “Sunrise” by Claude Monet
• What Made “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh So Famous Worldwide?
• Francisco de Goya’s Paintings and Their Significance in Art History
• Analyzing Edgar Degas’s Famous Dancer Paintings: Capturing the Movement

20th Century

• The Basic and Advanced Principles of Futurism Under a Magnifying Glass
• The Symbolism in Frida Kahlo’s Paintings
• Pushing the Boundaries: Jackson Pollock’s Special Approach to Making Art
• The Impact of Kazimir Malevich on the Evolution of Abstract Art
• The Expressionist Elements Prominent in Edvard Munch’s Works
• Dali’s Art: An Examination of Consciousness and Dreams
• Abstract Expressionism’s Distinctive Methods
• The Reconciliation or War Between the Styles in Gustav Klimt’s Work
• How cultural attitudes influenced pop art and the use of familiar objects in Art
• What Makes the Best Concept Art Pieces Unique?
• Baroque art and architecture movements
• The Key Artists and Paintings of the Baroque Period
• Philosemitism in the Baroque Period
• Art and architecture in the Baroque Period
• A comparative analysis of the Baroque and Rococo stylistic periods
• Gender portrayals in the Baroque Period

Romanticism

• Artistic, literary, and musical Romanticism
• Sublime Art in the 19th Century
• 19th-Century Romantic Aesthetics
• Romanticism in 20th-Century Literature
• The social influence of literary and artistic Romanticism
• Romanesque Art and architecture
• The artistic culture of the Romanticism and Positivism eras
• The roots of Romanticism
• The correlation between Romanticism and gender
• Understanding Romanticism as an anthology

Best Art History Topics from Various Cultures

Writing a thesis based on the different cultures around the world isn’t a challenging task. Once you’ve decided on a topic, you can find many credible resources and information on any culture. So, here are some of the best ideas about different cultures worldwide.

• Art in the Renaissance Period
• The Cultural Legacy of African Americans and Their Contribution to Modern American Art
• How Iranian Culture is Reflected in Iranian Cinema
• “The Holy Virgin Mary” by Chris Ofili
• Discuss Islamic arts in ancient Africa.
• The importance of Art for ritual life in Africa
• The evolution of Art in the Hellenistic period
• Art and socio-politics in Africa
• War Dance as a Cross-Cultural Phenomenon
• The Nubian Pyramids at Meroe
• Analyze modern Art in Zimbabwe.
• Art in Tanzania: a critical analysis
• Strangers in African Art
• Origin and development of Art in India
• Paul Gauguin and savagery
• Dance as a Cross-Cultural Form of Art
• The Styles, Materials, and Cultural Origins of Japanese Calligraphy
• A detailed analysis of the prehistoric Art of Europe
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Music and Dance
• “Origin of the World” by Gustave Courbet
• Textile and Fashion of Nomadic Asian Tribes
• Buddhist Art in India
• Art in the Mannerism period
• The tribal icons of African Art
• Marcel Duchamp as a controversial artist
• Arts and culture in India
• Yoko Ono as the controversial and groundbreaking artist
• Modern Dance Styles and Their Origins
• The Unique Features and Styles Found in the Hindi Film Industry
• Performance art in China

Read Also – 180+ Immigration Research Topics

Art History Thesis Topics Based on Impressionism

Impressionism was a significant movement in the 19th century. This style gave birth to the artistic style of capturing the moment, feeling, or experience, especially in its changing effects of light and color. Check out these excellent art history paper topics and pick the best one.

• The origins of impressionism
• How Impressionism Modified the Foundational Concepts of Art
• Monet and Manet’s Views of Nature
• Art and modernity in impressionism
• The life of Claude Manet: the founder of impressionism
• Edgar Degas and His Ballet Dancers’ Social Impact
• The French Impressionists: Changing the Face of Art
• Impressionist Auguste Renoir: The Final Representative of Impressionism
• The Ancient Culture of Art
• Rococo interior design
• Cubism vs. Impressionism: A Comparative Analysis
• Different approaches to impressionism used by the pioneers or artists
• The impact of impressionism on the hierarchy of arts
• Influence of impressionism in Japan
• An overview of the impressionist art movements
• Impressionism and post-impressionism
• Critical changes in painting techniques occurred throughout the impressionist era.
• Differences between impressionism and realism
• Why Canon and Traditions Were Against Impressionism
• The impact of the sketch-like appearance

Art History Topics Based on the Renaissance

Researching and writing about Renaissance-related art history topics will be challenging. However, you must know that these research topics are trendy among professors and students. Could you give it a try?

• The anatomy of the human figure in Art
• Discuss the strange altarpieces of the Renaissance era.
• Discuss the concept of humanism.
• A thorough examination of rationality throughout the Renaissance
• Realism throughout the Renaissance.
• Fresco cycles: an overview
• The evolution of secularism over the years
• The role of light in paintings
• A detailed examination of linear perspective
• Landscape in Renaissance art

Topics for Art History Based on Photography

Yes, photography is also an art form—a visual art form, to be precise. This field of Art can capture emotions, moments, and perspectives. If you are interested in this field.

• Using lighting for photography strategically
• The history of photography
• Camera Obscura: The First Ancestor of Modern Photography
• The influence of digital evolution on photography
• Remark on three of the most well-known photographers’ artistic expressions.
• Documenting the artist’s vision on camera
• The Problems with Lenses and the 19th-century Solution
• A detailed study on the social impact and significance of war photography during wars
• How photography transformed Art
• About Vivian Maier Mysteries: The Secret Archives of Her Street Photography
• Timing and framing strategies
• The History of Photography through centuries
• Do photos qualify as Art?
• Ansel Adams’s role in associating photography with the fine arts
• The many lighting options in a picture studio
• Is war photography an artistic medium?
• The significance of architecture and photography in the modern age
• Using images to convey emotions
• The career and life of Alfred Stieglitz
• The Role of Photography in films
• Self-portrait photography: beyond the selfies

Art History Thesis Topics Based on Architecture

Given how the present technology boom influences every element of our lives and the necessity for in-depth research, architecture is a crucial and timely field. It is one of the oldest forms of Art in global history. Check out the following art history thesis topics on architecture:

• Denis Abbey Church’s significance for Gothic design
• The significance of architecture in ancient times
• The significance of Art in architecture in the ancient era
• Politics and women’s positions in Ancient Rome’s architecture
• Constructivism in architecture
• Neoclassical Architecture
• The main trends and styles in 20th-century architecture
• The secrets behind the architecture in ancient Rome
• The elements of Gothic architecture
• The impact of Roman architecture on modern designs
• A comparative analysis between Art Nouveau and Art Deco?
• The Late Baroque Architecture
• Greek architecture in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles: a comparative analysis
• A detailed analysis of the late Gothic arts and architecture
• The late Baroque architecture
• What was the influence of eastern Art and designs on western architecture?
• The impact of constructivism on architecture
• Ancient and modern architecture: an overview
• History of Indian architecture
• Influence of Islamic architecture on western architecture
• The great mysteries of the pyramid construction
• An introduction to indigenous African architecture

Art History Paper Topics for Theatre

During ancient times, watching the theatre was one of the people’s most important forms of entertainment. Through time, the theater has significantly evolved to become a constant source of entertainment for us. Theater helps us gain perspective on the outside world, understand different cultures, and much more. Go through the following topics and pick out the best for you:

• Greek theatre in the ancient times
• Understanding theatre as an art
• The history of Greek theatre
• A handbook on the impact of ancient Greek theatre on the modern one
• Contribution of William Shakespeare to British Drama and Theatre
• A comparative analysis of the Elizabethan theatre and the modern theatre
• Understanding the Theater of the Absurd about “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett
• The history of Broadway musicals and theatres
• How did theatre evolve in ancient times?
• Theater as a force for social and cultural evolution

Final Words

Art is considered one of the vast fields that offer students an endless amount of topics to research. There needs to be more ground to cover, which makes it challenging for students to choose the right art topic and frame their thesis. For your help, our writers have thoroughly enumerated these unique and exciting topics. Our significant goal is to mentor or guide students and help them with their academic curricula. Our thesis help services are to free students from their academic problems; for that, we are available round-the-clock. This post will allow you to find the perfect topic and start your writing journey.

By Alex Brown

I'm an ambitious, seasoned, and versatile author. I am experienced in proposing, outlining, and writing engaging assignments. Developing contagious academic work is always my top priority. I have a keen eye for detail and diligence in producing exceptional academic writing work. I work hard daily to help students with their assignments and projects. Experimenting with creative writing styles while maintaining a solid and informative voice is what I enjoy the most.

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80 Art History Thesis Topics To Skyrocket Your Grades

An art history paper is just as the name suggests, an academic paper concerned with the history and development of art as a study field. Here, you will explore expert art history research topics for your homework. Are you ready? Let’s get done with it already!

Art History Thesis Topics on the Late Gothic Period

• Significant stylistic changes from the Romanesque style of the 12th century
• The relationship between the great cathedrals of Europe and the late Gothic period
• Monumental sculptures in the cathedrals of Europe
• The relevance of Abbey Church of St. Denis in Gothic architecture
• Gothic art in the Notre Dame in Paris
• Manuscript illustration in the Gothic paintings
• A review of the surviving Gothic paintings

Inspiring Thesis Topics Art History

• The artist’s major influences in a particular piece of art
• The role of recurring subjects in art
• Critically evaluate Lorenzo Costa’s Portrait of a Cardinal in his Study
• Why is photogravure used more than encaustic painting?
• Critical features of Abstract Expressionist painting
• Discuss the common motifs in the embroidery and Scandinavian weaving
• Evaluate the Baroque as a significant period of artistic activity

Art History Senior Thesis Topics

• A review of the images used to communicate messages in art history
• The historical and transcultural contexts of visual works
• The history of feminism art portrayal
• The impact of Marxism ideology on the development of art
• A critical analysis of the aesthetic values of art in homes
• The history of signs and symbols in paintings
• Theories that define the history and development of art

Undergraduate Art History Thesis Topics

• Evaluate the development of art in Ancient Greece
• The role of art in historical analysis and learning
• How different were the artists from the expressionism period?
• The impact of Cubism development on the art world
• How did artists preserve ancient artworks, and why?
• What led to the extinction of the Dadaism art movement?
• A study of Leonardo da Vinci’s life history

Impressive Thesis Topics in Art History

• How do the Eastern and Western artworks of the 18th century compare?
• An analysis of the developments leading to modern art
• Comparison between ancient and contemporary artists
• What is the definition of real art?
• Methods of dissecting a complex piece of art in simple words
• The role of nature and life in influencing art
• How art therapy has developed from ancient cultural practices

Art History Photography Thesis Topics

• How to make a distinction between an American and French art photographer
• Are there distinctions between art and photography?
• Why is photography replacing fine art?
• How the printing press has led to the development of photography
• The cultural revolution and its relationship to art history
• Compare and contrast the relationship between photography and ancient art
• Compare and analyze design styles in Picasso’s blue and rose periods

Popular Art History Thesis Topics

• How science has influenced Ancient Greek sculptures
• What led to the shift of the Roman artistic styles in the 4th century?
• The relationship between The Great Wall of China and art.
• The place and role of women and politics in Ancient Rome architecture.
• Representation of males in Ancient Art.
• How did art influence architectural structures in ancient times?
• Why ancient Rome is full of art

Art History Thesis Topics Greek

• The importance of pottery and vases in ancient Greek art.
• A study of the ancient Greek arts periods: Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic.
• How the Statue of Zeus at Olympia reflects the artistic style of the time.
• Compare and contrast any of these styles of Greek art: the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles of Greek architecture
• Why were Fresco paintings included on or inside many ancient Greek structures?
• Contributions of Polykleitos to the ancient Greek art industry
• What was so unique about Parthenon?

Art History Thesis Topics Impressionism

• The role of impressionists in the art hierarchy
• Why canon and traditions were against impressionism
• The origins of impressionism
• The influence of impressionism on the art process
• A study of the founding members of the Impressionism movement
• Why the pioneers of impressionism used diverse approaches to painting
• The impact of the sketch-like appearance

Modern Art History Topics For High School

• The influence of pop art culture in America
• Materials and styles in Chinese calligraphy
• Evaluate the art of henna in the Middle East, India, and Africa
• Art and cultural inclinations
• Ancient art culture
• The emergence of the Bollywood film industry
• The sense of art in today’s movies and series.’

Ancient Art History Research Paper Topics

• The art of disguising
• Cartoons as a form of art
• Color in art
• Similarities between Picasso and Leonardo Da Vinci
• Is Graffiti vandalism?

Compare and Contrast Topics in Art History

• Baroque vs. Rococo designs
• Renaissance and Baroque Epoch
• Cubism and impressionism
• French vs. American art
• Gothic vs. Neo-Gothic periods

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• Belk Library

Art History Research Guide

Developing a Topic

• Finding Sources
• Searching Effectively
• Scholarly and Popular Sources
• ARH 2100 research
• ARH 2110 research
• Additional Help

Need topic ideas?

A great idea can come from anywhere! Here are some suggested places to start:

• Class discussions
• Assigned readings
• Personal interests
• Trending topics
• Browse journals in the field
• Explore Your Topic
• Refine Your Topic

Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first. This will help you:

• begin to understand the context of your topic
• narrow the topic to a more manageable size
• direct you to where to do more specific searches

Encyclopedia-style databases offer short overviews of a topic and are good places to start.

Try the library databases below to explore your topic. When you're ready, move on to refining your topic.

Find background information:

• Bloomsbury Cultural History This link opens in a new window Bloomsbury Cultural History is a digital resource that engages with culture throughout the ages from antiquity to modernity. Provides access to articles about a wide range of subjects throughout history. Each subject is looked at in Antiquity, the Medieval Age, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Age of Empire and the Modern Age.
• Credo This link opens in a new window Credo is an easy-to-use tool for starting research. Gather background information on your topic from hundreds of full-text encyclopedias, dictionaries, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 500,000+ images and audio files and over 1,000 videos.
• Gale E-Books This link opens in a new window Find information on artists and art movements, including contextual history in this database of encyclopedias.
• Oxford Art Online This link opens in a new window Oxford Art Online contains Grove Art Online, the Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms, with entries on artists from antiquity to the present, including auction records, museum holdings, and bibliographies
• CREDO Masterworks Art History videos Each short documentary showcases an artist and a key piece, illuminating the context and history of the work

Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic.  Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be.  Here are some suggestions for narrowing and defining your topic:

• Is there a specific subset of the topic you can focus on?
• Is there a cause and effect relationship you can explore?
• Is there an unanswered question on the subject?
• Can you focus on a specific time period or group of people?

Describe and develop your topic in some detail. Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:

I want to research  ____ (what/who) ____

and  ____ (what/who) ____

in  ____ (where) ____

during  ____ (when) ____

because  ____ (why) ____.

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• Last Updated: Feb 25, 2024 4:31 PM
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• Library Home

Art History

• Art Historical Research
• Introductory Resources
• Finding Books
• Finding Articles
• Finding Images

When writing about Art

Look at the Art:

• Take time to observe the object and make notes about its formal properties

Learn more about it:

• Look at introductory resources such as museum or gallery websites or art encyclopedias to find biographical information about the artist and/or contextual information about your object

Collect Sources through Research:

• Find Books : search the library's website  for your artist's name, art movements, and other related concepts to your object
• Find Articles : Search journal databases for your artists' name, movement, period, style, medium and other context keywords for articles related to your object
• Find Images : Include images of your object in your paper or presentation. Look at other works by your artist, objects of the same style/period, or pieces containing similar subject matter to strengthen your argument by comparing related objects

Write and Cite:

• Include a formal analysis describing the physical properties and visual experience of your object
• Provide contextual analysis of your object by examining its subject matter, function, and cultural / historical significance
• Cite all quotes, paraphrased references and images used in your paper or presentation; Ask your instructor about what style to use

What is Art Historical Analysis?

Art historical analysis is an investigation art historians do to understand and give meaning to works of art. They do this by describing formal properties, examining content or subject matter and placing works of art in their historical context .

What is a Visual Analysis?

A visual or formal analysis examines an artwork's elements that we can see such as scale, composition, space, form, line, color, light, tone, texture, and pattern. The purpose of a visual analysis is to recognize and understand the choices made by the artist in creating the artwork.

Consider the Context

Researching and writing about artists and art objects  r equires contextualizing within the history of art. This is done by making connections to  influences or movements and researching beyond your specific artist or object.  Asking and answering the questions "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" can serve as a great starting point for this kind of in-depth research.

Infographic excerpted from  Curtis Newbold

Web resources for researching and writing about Art

• UConn Finding an Art history Topic
• MJC Library Art Research Basics
• Swarthmore College - Art History Writing Guide
• Visual Analysis Guidelines - Skidmore College
• Visual Analysis - Duke University
• Guide for Writing about Art History - Southwestern University

TIP! Sources as Seeds

Scholarly publications usually end with a list of references, also known as a bibliography or a works cited page. These lists can be powerful tools for locating more sources on a topic. By finding one relevant journal article or book and reviewing its cited sources, you can locate new titles to search for that you might not otherwise find through a Library or internet search.

Examining the references in scholarly publications can also help you understand how different researchers have approached a topic and have related their work to that of others. This perspective can help you relate your ideas to those of others and make compelling arguments.

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Best 120 Art History Topics For A Perfect Essay

Art history is surely not the easiest field to write about. Many students are feeling lost in the world of art and might confuse different painters. How to write an art history research paper? How to create a successful essay? The key to your success is choosing the right topic. In this post, we’ve collected an impressive number of 120 art history research paper topics as well as some tips for writing a brilliant academic paper.

How to Compose A Successful Art History Academic Paper

Creating an art history research paper is similar to writing other types of essays you’ve faced with earlier. However, you need to know some particular features of this type of essay to make your paper shine. Here is a list of hints that will help you create a nice paper on any of the art history topics.

• Choose a time period you will describe in your paper. One of the most common mistakes of many students is trying to write about the world of art as a whole. However, there are some historical art periods with their own unique trends and novations. Pick up a certain period and stick to your topic when writing an essay.
• Meet the basic requirements for academic papers. Lots of learners would like to be creative when writing about art. Of course, some types of papers allow sharing your own views and preferences. However, it is still necessary to follow the basic essay structure and formatting.
• Learn the instructions. As a rule, professors provide students with a list of instructions on writing an art history academic paper. It is better to start working on your essay by learning the basic tips offered by the professor.

Ancient Civilizations: Art History Research Topics

These are topics that might help you discover lots of secrets and mysteries. Ancient worlds have an amazing art history and lots of particular features to describe in your essay.

• The Sculptures In Ancient World
• The Secrets Of Egyptian Pyramids
• The Main Art Tendencies In Ancient Greece
• The Art In Ancient Rome
• The Art Of Mesopotamia: Top Facts And Trends
• The Sculpture In Mesopotamia
• The Secret Facts About Mesoamerican Pyramids
• Art In Egypt
• The Development Of Theater In Greece
• Challenges Of The Art Development In Ancient Rome
• Early Art: Hinduism
• Scythian Art Masterpieces
• Traditional Japanese Costumes
• Traditional Chinese Costumes
• The Development Of Art In Asia
• Hinduism: The Art Trends That Changed The World
• Famous Masterpieces Of Ancient Rome Art
• The Shifts In The Art Development In Ancient Greece
• The Impact Of God Worship In The Ancient Art
• God Figures In Ancient Art

The Middle Ages And The Renaissance: Art History Academic Paper Topics

The world of art was changing at railway speed. When looking at the masterpieces created in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, you will be amazed by how diverse they are. These epochs are incredibly rich in new trends and tendencies, so there are lots of art history compare and contrast essay and topics to choose from.

• The Role Of Michelangelo In World Art History
• Mogul Paintings And Their Particular Features
• The New Styles In Raphael’s Paintings
• Leonardo da Vinci As A Genius Of His Epoch
• The Secrets Of Mona Lisa
• The Masterpieces Of Leonardo da Vinci
• Bible Scenes In The Art Of Middle Ages
• History Of Medieval Art
• Gothic And International Gothic
• Famous Russian Medieval Icon Painters
• Types Of Medieval Art
• Materials Used In Medieval Art
• Early Christian Artists
• Byzantine Artists
• Famous Medieval Artists
• Nicola Pisano And His Role In The History Of Art
• Filippo Calendario And His Role In The History Of Art
• Renaissance Art In Italy
• The Main Features Of Humanism
• Renaissance Artists Who Changed The World Of Art
• Sienese School Of Painting
• The Main Causes Of The Renaissance

Art History Research Topics: 18th century

There is nothing new that the 18th century is an epoch of the flourish of art in lots of countries. Neoclassicism, Baroque, Rococo, and other styles all appeared during this remarkable period.

• What Is Baroque Art? The Main Concepts
• Types Of Baroque Art
• Baroque Sculpture
• The Tenebrism And Its Role In The History Of Art
• The Chiaroscuro And Its Role In The History Of Art
• Religious Art In The 18th Century
• The Causes Of Realism
• The Main Features Of Vanitas Painting
• Biblical Art
• Caravaggism Painting Technique
• Spanish Baroque
• Flemish Baroque
• Dutch Baroque
• Neoclassical Architecture
• Neoclassical Painting
• Neoclassical Sculpture
• Caravaggio And Paintings

Art history thesis essay topics: 19th century

The history of art is full of amazing changes and fantastic innovations. The 19th century is also a period of incredible cultural shifts with outstanding masterpieces created by Vincent Van Gogh, Giovanni Strazza, Monet, and other artists.

• The Historical Role Of Francisco De Goya
• Art Nouveau And Its Main Features
• Decorative Art In 19th Century
• Applied Art In 19th Century
• Japonism And Its Main Features
• Poster Art And Illustration
• History Of Art Nouveau
• Evolution Of Art Nouveau
• Art Nouveau Decorative Glass And Jewellery
• Famous Art Nouveau Artists
• Influence Of Art Nouveau
• Realist Artists
• History Of Realism In The 19th Century
• Verismo: The Main Trends
• Famous 19th-century Realist Paintings
• Vincent Van Gogh And His Role In History
• Monet And His Role In History
• Giovanni Strazza And His Role In History

Art History Research Paper Topics: 20th Century

The 20th century was incredibly dynamic and had lots of important events that changed the world of art. The World Wars, the fast development of technologies, and space exploration had a significant impact on the minds of artists.

• The Main Trends In Art In The 20th Century
• Photorealism And Its Main Concepts
• Hyperrealism: The Basic Features
• The World Of Cubism
• Symbolism And Its Meaning
• Futurism: The Challenges And Prospects
• Surrealism: The Basic Features
• Futurism Artists
• World-known Surrealism Artists
• Symbolism Artists
• Famous Hyperrealism Artists
• Holocaust Art
• Causes Of Social Realism
• Ashcan School
• American Scene Painting
• American Contemporary Realism
• Beaux Arts Quartet
• Magic Realism: The Basic Concepts
• Cynical Realism In China
• The Regionalist Style - Characteristics
• Anti-European Abstraction
• Why Was Regionalism Important
• Regionalist Painters
• Vorticism: The Main Concepts
• Video Art In The 20th Century

Art History Paper Topics: Argumentative And Analytical

Most students are assigned to write various types of argumentative and analytical topics. However, picking up the topic for deep analysis among the history of art topics might appear to be difficult. Below we’ve created a short collection of essay topics for these purposes to make your job easier. Art history compare and contrast academic essay topics are also available here.

• Comparative Analysis Of Sculptures Created By Polykleitos And Donatello
• Style And Design In The 19th And 20th Century
• The Impact Of Oriental Style On European Culture
• Comparative Analysis Of Gustave Moreau And Mikhail Vrubel Art
• Expressionism And Fauvism: An Advanced Analysis
• Examining The Works Of Monet
• Realism And Hyperrealism
• The Difference Between Poster Art And Photorealism
• The Difference Between Surrealism And Magic Realism
• Examining The Works Of Leonardo Da Vinci
• The Main Features Of Ancient Greek And Ancient Roman Art
• The Analysis Of Venetian Paintings
• The Main Challenges Of Victorian Art
• Examining The Works Of Adolph Von Menzel
• The Main Trends In The 20th-century Architecture
• Rococo And Neoclassical Portraits

How To Create Papers On Art History

Most young learners consider art-related topics to be among the most difficult areas to write about. The matter is that the world of art is incredibly diverse with lots of trends and tendencies that appeared in different periods of time. Moreover, it is often complicated to choose the style of the piece of art you are writing about. What should you do to succeed in writing academic papers of this kind?

• Do advanced research. Searching online and in your local library will surely take you plenty of time. Determining the differences between impressionism and realism requires having a deep understanding of both styles of art.
• Polish your writing skills. Your paper should be well-structured and have no mistakes or typos. This means you need to have exceptional writing abilities and excellent grammar skills.
• Have perfect formatting. Most professors will downgrade the scores for your essay in case you’ve chosen a wrong formatting style. Therefore, pay extra attention to this feature, too.

But what if you are not good at writing essays? Fortunately, there is a great solution to this issue. Pay for essay online and get a professionally written essay within the shortest terms. By the way, our expert writers can take care of the academic paper of any level of difficulty.

REFERENCES:

• Writing tips for students
• Prompts for easy research
• Art history timeline
• The basic concepts of art history
• Books on art history
• How to write an art history paper
• Art history short facts

• UConn Library
• Art & Art History Subject Guide
• Finding A Topic

Art & Art History Subject Guide — Finding A Topic

• Always Start Your Research with an Authoritative Work of Reference
• Searching and Reading Articles
• Art & Art History Sources
• Interdisciplinary Sources
• Full Text Sources
• Locating Digital Images
• Finding Information about Contemporary Artists
• Citing and Writing
• Catalogues Raisonnés & Provenance
• Primary Sources--Historic Newspapers and Periodicals
• Class Assignments: Avery Point

Choosing A Topic

This first step in your paper may prove to be the most difficult, but here are some tips to help you:

• Always choose a topic that you are interested in. It will be much easier and much more fun for you and your reader.
• Avoid broad topics (e.g. Art during war times), or narrow ones (e.g. Post World War II art of 1945 showing the gueules cassées). A better topic might be: The Atrocities of post World War II in art.
• Review your assignment guidelines, and follow instructions regarding topic selection. (Also, do not hesitate to speak with your professor if you are having difficulties.)

The links below will provide extra tips on choosing topic.

• Finding Research Topic Ideas
• Research QuickStart
• Research Question Generator
• Narrowing A Topic

Sometimes you start a term paper thinking you won't have enough to write about, but more often than not, you will find that you need to narrow down your topic. For example, let's say you want to write about French art. It is a very popular topic, but you will have to break it down into a time period, maybe a specific movement or even a specific artist. Help yourself to these tools and the concept mapping video to ask yourself the right questions so your topic becomes more focused.

• Choosing and Narrowing a Topic to Write About
• Narrowing A Topic and Developing A Research Question
• Identifying When A Topic is Too Narrow or Too Broad

Form Your Ideas into Research Questions

After reading some background information, start grouping the nouns and ideas together to formulate a question. Let's say you want to write about French painting, and what draws you to French art is the French revolution and the political changes that happened around that time.

Ideas: France, painting, revolution

Question : The French Revolution is a very important part of French History. How did paintings of the Revolution express the political turmoil of the time?

Concept Mapping

Interest Yourself in What You Write

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Writing in Art History

This guide provides a brief introduction to writing in the field of  art history  through the lens of  threshold concepts.  It includes:

• A statement of threshold concepts in art history
• “So you’re taking an art history course”: A Description of Writing Characteristics Valued in Art History
• “This is how we write and do research in art history”: Resources for Writers

A Statement of Threshold Concepts in Art History

“Seeing comes before words, the child looks and recognizes before it can speak.” (John Berger,  Ways of Seeing )

“Seeing establishes our place in the world.” (John Berger,  Ways of Seeing )

“We do not explain pictures: we explain remarks about pictures.” (Michael Baxandall,  Patterns of Intention )

Threshold Concept #1: Connections between Looking and Writing

The statement:   It is not easy to write what you see. If seeing establishes our place in the world, art history is a tool to make sense of the visual world in which we all live.

What this means for our students:   Looking well is a time-intensive and skilled practice. Visual information is not self-evident, and writing about what is seen involves thinking about how and why visual information is understood in a particular way.

Where/how we teach this Threshold Concept : Visual analysis assignment in ART 285; Short essays in 100-level courses. Writing about and describing what is seen is also modeled in class examples and discussions.

Threshold Concept #2: Context Matters

The statement:   All art is conditioned by historical and cultural circumstances. Art history endeavors to understand these circumstances or contexts in order to explain the crucial role art occupies in humanity. The contexts that produced the work of art help art historians contextualize why art matters.

What this means for students:  Art is never understood by its visual appearance or form alone. The goal of art history is to place a work of art within its historic, religious, political, economic, and aesthetic contexts. Students should also understand that various contexts do not stand on their own, but usually overlap. Only by unpacking the circumstances that give rise to a work of art is one able to communicate how art matters and how its meanings change through time and place.      

Where/how we teach this Threshold Concept:  100-level courses engage with this concept while upper-level courses provide students with practical applications through the execution of research and writing assignments.

Threshold Concept #3: Frames of interpretation

The statement:  Art historical writing involves multiple frames of interpretation and—perhaps more importantly—the ability to hold multiple frames in suspension at the same time while producing an original argument. While there is no one “right” interpretation of a work of art, there are interpretations and scholarly arguments that have more quality or staying power than others. (See below for examples of quality art historical arguments)

What this means for students:   Research done in preparation for writing is framed not only as a search for facts to be relayed to the reader through writing, but also as discourses of interpretation within which the writer seeks to interject. This kind of writing involves a conversation with artworks, contexts, and prior interpretations and scholarship in service of an original argument.

Where/how we teach this Threshold Concept:   Research papers in upper level courses, at the end of Art 285 and the Art 480 seminar, and as part of the capstone project and honors theses ideally move students through this threshold. Being able to do this involves building upon awareness and skills gained in Threshold Concepts 1 and 2.

“So You’re Taking an Art History Course”: A Description of Writing Characteristics Valued in Art History

Art history is rooted in the study of visual, performed, and material expression. Goals for our work include interpretation, producing frameworks, narratives, and histories to understand the human experience and condition, and the expansion of what is considered “art”. We want you to know that there are some key things that we value in our field. We value the  complexity of seeing and the diversity of different ways of seeing . We tend not to value or prioritize subjective opinion and unsubstantiated claims.

What is considered effective or good writing in our field varies by genre and purpose, but overall we expect to see:

• a direct address of the subject or work of art.
• an interpretive analysis of a work of art backed by research from credible sources.
• engagement with significant interpretive and theoretical frameworks.

Writers in our field must provide evidence for their claims. We understand evidence to include:

• Formal analysis. Formal analysis is the description of the visual and material features of an object to support an argument. It can include a consideration of color, line, size, weight, form, shape, depth. Formal analysis is often a place to generate questions for research.
• Biographical records or artists’ statements
• Archival records
• Ethnographic data
• Historical events
• Significant secondary literature
• Adjacent artistic and cultural production (music, literature, theatre, etc.)

Writers in our field seem credible when they:

• Address current and historical debates about the interpretation of a topic
• Demonstrate an awareness of the historical and cultural context of a topic
• Cite credible sources accurately.  Credible sources  include peer-reviewed journals, books, or websites from reputable institutions and organizations.
• For more information on citing sources accurately, see the “ Quick Guide to Citations for Art Historical Writing ”

This is How We Write and Do Research in Art History

Art historical writing is about analyzing works of art to make a point or argument. Not every student in our classes needs to be able to write in the professional way of the field. However, depending on the reasons for taking our courses, we want students to become proficient and comfortable with analyzing art and the important place writing occupies in that process. Students taking an art history course should expect to write in the following genres:

• research papers
• exhibition reviews/evaluations
• book reviews
• visual analyses
• reading reflection/canvas posts
• museum labels
• essay exams

Writing goals and outcomes are different depending on the level of the course.  For example:

• Undergraduates taking Miami Plan (100-level) or elective courses  should recognize the relationship between how to develop a thesis and employ visual evidence in support of that thesis. Such a skill is undoubtedly useful for all students since looking closely coupled with the ability to make sense of what one sees are crucial for many other kinds of writing and ways of thinking. We argue the complexity and diversity of “looking deeply” is too often taken for granted in the visual world in which we live. In 100-level classes, students start to become familiar with how to write and think about art.
• Undergraduates majoring in our field  should recognize that art historical writing is approached as a conversation or dialogue. As students progress through the major, being able to place a topic and research paper within previous published and ongoing debates is crucial. In other words, students should start to understand that writing in Art History is about creating a dialog between one’s ideas and the sources the student engages. We also want our students to understand the value of inserting their own voice when writing. Over time, majors will need to become skilled at synthesizing their ideas and arguments with original research. This very process is how objects tell us something distinctive about their historical context and their value within human history.  

Resources for Art History Writers

Annotated Sample of Writing from Art History (ART 188)

The following is a student paper from the course ART 188: History of Western Art (Renaissance to Modern). Miami faculty from Art History have inserted comments to indicate and explain disciplinary writing conventions in Art History.

This sample contains 8 comments. These comments appear within the text of the article and are noted with bold text, brackets [ ], and the word "comment" before the text they refer to.  You can also view these annotations and the original paper in a  Google Doc format .

Sample Annotated Student Essay for ART 188

The essay prompt.

Compare Hyacinthe Rigaud’s painting  Louis XIV  (1701) (on the left) to Jacques-Louis David’s  Death of Marat  (1793) (on the right). Both of these artworks were made for explicitly political purposes, though they clearly depict very different types of figures and employ very different styles. Compare these two artworks in terms of how they convey their particular political message to the viewer. What strategies does each artist employ and why? What are they trying to communicate to the viewer about the state?

Introduction (2 comments)

A Martyr of Royal Proportions

[Comment 1: Introduction sets the context without making claims that are too broad or general. Also sets the tone for a focus on class conflict.]  For the majority of the eighteenth-century, French farmers stayed starving and cold while an elite class of nobility consumed them. For years, the upper echelon of French society relied on the blood and sweat of the layman to provide them with ample nourishment. But after the spring of 1791, the fields would be nourished by the blood of laymen and aristocrat alike, and the old ways would be no more. A revolution had begun, and revolutionary figures like Jean Paul Marat would be painted in stark contrast to the grandiose portraiture of King Louis the Fourteenth nearly a century prior.  [Comment 2: Clear thesis signals what the argument will be and why comparing these two paintings is worthwhile.]  Indeed, the transition in composition from the early eighteenth century spoke to more than simple brushstrokes. It represented the political enlightenment of the French people attempting to secure for themselves unalienable liberties they had been denied so long. Marat, therefore, was not simply a brutalized revolutionary lying lifeless in his bathtub;  The Death of Marat  depicts the efforts of the enlightenment revolution ferociously contesting with the old paradigm of French government.

Analysis (6 comments)

[Comment 3: Clear topic sentences signal what each paragraph will analyze.]  When comparing two pieces it is important to recognize their respective contexts first. The Louis XIV portrait is painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud during the early Enlightenment period of France in 1701. This painting has King Louis XIV surrounded by opulence in a very stately posture. Louis states, “I am the state,” reinforcing his role as monarch of France for anyone viewing his kingly grandeur.  The Death of Marat , however, imparts a very different sentiment. Painted by French revolutionary artist Jacques-Louis David in 1793,  The Death of Marat  displays the infamous revolutionary writer is lifeless in a tub. At the height of the French revolution, he is soaking in a mixture of medicinal sulfur used to treat a rare skin condition he contracted in the sewers of France. Indeed, this disease that Marat contracted in the sewers placed him in the tub he would be murdered in. In this way, the poverty that drove him into the sewers also drove him to his demise; the French aristocracy could expunge the poor from the streets, but they could never extricate the ideas Marat imbued. The piece evoked compassion and provided justification to the many rebellious Parisians for whom he spoke. Furthermore, the painting immortalized Marat as a martyr and freedom fighter in the eyes of his fellow revolutionaries. The Louis XIV portrait flaunts power and status while  The Death of Marat  condemns monarchical rule in France.

After examining context, it is crucial to integrate the content of the works to get at their underlying meaning. Examining the content of the Louis XIV portrait gives the viewer an idea of the intentions and priorities of the French king. It is especially apparent that the king has a lot of money.  [Comment 4:  Descriptive prose points to specific aspects in the work of art.]  His encrusted sword and outrageously fanciful robe serve to bolster his status and wealth. It would almost seem that in a secondary effort to avoid being directly arrogant, these items are also imbued with a national relevance. The ludicrous robe displays the three-pronged lily representing the French monarchy, and his encrusted sword represents French military might. It is his shoes that cannot be accounted for. The king, old and sickly as he actually was, adorns some stylish footwear to juxtapose his position as self-proclaimed “Sun King” with some suave contemporary sneakers and a cheeky flash of the thigh. As powerful and sophisticated as he may have been, this portraiture shows  [Comment 5: Returns the analysis of symbols within the painting to the context of class conflict signaled in the introduction.]  a clear separation from reality; the wealth and power of “France” depicted in Louis’ portrait was not representative of the people who actually lived there. It was only relatable to the fancifully rich. Comparatively, the Marat portrait makes King Louis look like a bad attempt at humor.  The Death of Marat  was something extremely real and very relatable. It illustrated a man who suffered dearly at the hand of the monarchy and was ultimately killed by those who supported its rule. The rich and famous could never relate to  The Death of Marat  in the same way Parisians did; Marat would have been more honorable in the eyes of the public than any would-be king. Marat is shown in his tub, papers under arm and his quill in hand. It would appear that he was working on some enlightenment literature when he received a letter which tricked him into granting his killer access to him. Similar to the Louis XIV portrait, Marat’s body is sculpted with the precision and attention expected of the neoclassical age. The sickly and bleeding body of Marat elicits a specific emotional reaction of resentment and remorse. That the Marat painting gained the popularity that it did supports the idea that people began to relate more with enlightenment concepts and less of the idea of a king.

The skillful hand of each artist has a unique place in the message of each painting. The separate pieces are painted with unique and very different forms. Looking at the Louis XIV painting one notices that it is very full. This is assumed to be an intentional detail, as a king would surely have many possessions. Small shadows hide in the creases of cloth behind him. The only true shadow that rivals that of the king is in the very back of the painting almost out of sight. It would not be a stretch to say that the painting is full of cloth, and every cloth is radiant with color.  [Comment 6:  Attention to formal detail reasserts and supports the main argument about class and the king’s presentation within the painting.]  Light comes from the right-side illuminating Louis the XIV making him look larger with his robe on. The piece is extremely skilled but has some element of blurring when looked at closely. The overall atmosphere is one of style, color, and power regarding the king. The Marat piece does not share much with the Louis portrait; it is of a bath tub, a man, and a desk. The details of Marat are more vivid and retain their integrity upon close inspection. Marat himself is so realistic, he truly looks lifeless.  [Comment 7:  Formal analysis here connects to prior class content, and points to the art historical references within the painting.]   His posture is very reminiscent of pieta, reinforcing his martyr status in a Christ-like fashion. Despite the detail and realism of Marat,  [Comment 8:  Looks not only to what is in the painting, but how absences are treated, considering the entire composition.]  the stark ambiguity of the upper half of the painting is both unconventional and genius. With a black top half, there is nothing but Marat himself to focus on, the only thing one can really see and feel is Marat. As a result, the piece evokes keeps the viewers attention and feeling on the death of the man. One might ask who would do such a thing. Then answer inevitably reached is the monarchy.

Conclusion (0 comments)

The differences in context, content, and form of  The Death of Marat  and  Louis XIV  vary widely. These aspects are essential to the message and reception of the works. Their comparison brings out everything that is right, or wrong, with the messages they impart. In the case of David’s painting, it simply elicits the exact emotions people needed to feel; the emotions they needed reassurance of if they were to carry out their cause. The power of  The Death of Marat  inspired people to carry on fighting for the French Revolution. The influence of art certainly stretches beyond the construct of the mind, art is part and parcel of society, and should be regarded so dearly.

Annotated Sample of Read, Look, Reflect Essay

This sample contains 10 comments. These comments appear within the text of the article and are noted with bold text, brackets [ ], and the word "comment" before the text they refer to.  You can also view these annotations and the original paper in a  Google Doc format .

Assignment Context

As a student in ART 188, you might be asked to write a series of Read, Look, Reflect papers. The following paper is an example of exemplary student work. For this assignment, students are asked to read two sonnets by Michelangelo and look closely at Michelangelo’s sculpture Awakening Slave. Then they are asked to reflect on the questions below. This is a paper in which all students referenced the same assigned texts. No outside research was necessary, so footnotes were not required. Only clear references to the specific sonnet being discussed were necessary.

How does the allusion to the creative process in Michelangelo’s poems help us understand his philosophy of carving sculpture? How is that process visually apparent in the sculpture,  Awakening Slave ?

Introduction (3 comments)

Read, Look, Reflect: Michelangelo’s  Awakening Slave

[Comment 1: This introductory paragraph is effective because it begins providing an answer to the essay prompt. The author begins to explain a connection between hand and mind, which suggests a particular approach to the creative process.]   [Comment 2:  The author also gets straight to the point without making any sweeping historical claims or claims about beauty or greatness of a work of art.]  Michelangelo’s sonnets give insight into his beliefs about the mind’s vision and the hand’s product. Using sonnets to discuss the creative process and its resulting translation to Michelangelo’s sculptures is a testament to Michelangelo’s own mental capabilities, for both forms of art are quite difficult to produce well. Poetry and art require excessive refinement and revision on the part of the creator to convey what he or she wants to with a finished product. In the sonnet numbered 151, Michelangelo describes the “hand that obeys the intellect”,  [Comment 3:  Here’s one place where the author provides an interpretation of a specific quote.]  an indication that he believes that the mind is central to sculpting a vision from inspiration before the hand sculpts the stone itself. Further, Michelangelo’s choice of words here shows his reverence for the mind in its central creative role. In this paper, demonstrate how Michelangelo’s sonnets and the sculpture,  Awakening Slave , express a tension between idea and execution.

Analysis (7 comments)

With this in mind, Michelangelo’s second sonnet, numbered 152, delves further into the carving process.  [Comment 4:  The author focuses on a specific part of the poem here.]  Michelangelo speaks of a living figure “that grows larger wherever the stone decreases” in this poem, a more direct allusion to what stone is literally subtracted as artistic additions are made to the stone. From there, the sonnet further describes the process of addition, discussing how one cannot see his or her own good in the same way that others can.  [Comment 5:  The author comes to a thoughtful interpretation of the quote here.]  Rather, according to Michelangelo, other people seem to see the good in an individual and can bring it out to the surface in a way that the individual is unable to introspectively.  [Comment 6:  The author continues to reflect on the significance of that interpretation to the creative process.]  This is a powerful observation both psychologically and artistically, and though Michelangelo is commenting on both, the latter alludes more to the creative process. Artistically, it seems like Michelangelo is alluding to his personal definition of inspiration. When artists like himself create, they seek to bring out qualities worth displaying, whether they be qualities like grace and beauty, or in the case of his sculpture,  Awakening Slave , a quality like the beauty of struggle.

Because Michelangelo’s sculpture,  Awakening Slave , is still very much confined to the stone, viewers can see his poetic description of replacing raw stone with a mental vision in artistic practice. It could be argued that the sculpture is either intentionally or accidentally unfinished, but with the information from the sonnets, the former seems to be a more accurate reflection of Michelangelo’s beliefs in this art. For Michelangelo, crafting a seemingly unfinished sculpture can successfully show the struggles of the creative process, especially conflicts with inspiration itself. Conflicts could entail a situation such as if inspiration were to run dry, or a time when the pressure on the creator to produce a fully developed vision becomes too much.

The man who is supposed to be awakening in the sculpture is facing a personal struggle that he cannot escape from.  [Comment 7:  The author makes a clear and specific observation about the sculpture.]  It is worth noting that a body is more clearly defined in the sculpture than a head.  [Comment 8:  The author suggests a possible interpretation of the observation above.]  This structural observation could mean that the head, and therefore the mind, is the source of the struggle for the man depicted in the stone.  [Comment 9:  The author again makes a specific observation in the next sentence and then moves into interpretation for the rest of the paragraph.]  The central parts of the body are more prominent in the stone than the upper and lower regions of the body, giving the sculpture a warped look on the top, but also a little bit on the bottom as well. This further enhances the theme of struggle and the overtaking of the mind by said struggle. The all- consuming nature of struggle is made more powerful and central to the sculpture by that design choice, especially since viewers know that Michelangelo’s anatomical accuracy was part of what has made many of his other works so respected.

The ability that viewers have to pair Michelangelo’s  Awakening Slave  with written explanations from the artist centuries later undoubtedly adds to one’s interpretation of the art. Michelangelo’s decision to reflect on his own creative process shows that while he was a renowned artist, the talent was accompanied by other highly developed talents, too. In more than one respect, Michelangelo continues to succeed in making critics and common viewers alike understand the complexity of the artistic profession.

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Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Need to select a research topic or find background information?  

The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more.   Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information.  

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

A Little History of Art

Electronic Resource 2022

African American Art : The Long Struggle

Electronic Resource 2018

African American Arts

Electronic Resource 2019

Architecture and Control

Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500

Nancy Thompson Learning Commons (Library)

Reference Collection Section - 2nd Floor 1997

Art in China

Nancy Thompson Learning Commons(Library) 

Reference Collection Section - 2nd Floor 1997

Art in Europe, 1700-1830

Nancy Thompson Learning Commons(Library)

Reference Collection Section - 2nd Floor 1997

The Architecture of Art History

Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture

Nancy Thompson Learning Commons(Library) Electronic Resource Electronic Link  Volumes 1-3 (2003)

From Space in Modern Art to a Spatial Art History

Electronic resource 2019

Islamic Heritage Architecture and Art II

Modernity, History, and Politics in Czech Art

Postwar Italian Art History Today

Periodization in the art historiographies of central and eastern europe, recommended online encyclopedia databases.

Working from off campus?  If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google Email Username and Password.

• Gale eBooks (Gale Cengage Learning) This link opens in a new window A comprehensive collection of reference resources such as subject-focused encyclopedias and dictionaries, available in a single database.
• Oxford Art Online (Oxford University Press) (VALE) This link opens in a new window Key reference for art; offers artist biographies as well as subject entries on artworks, genres, historical periods, and so on; includes Grove Art Online. The database also provides access to some 40,000 image links and 5,000 images contained within Grove Art Online. NOTE: Permits only eight simultaneous users.
• SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new window Provides reference resources such as subject-focused dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference materials published by SAGE.

Recommended Image Databases

• Getty Research Portal "Access digitized art history publications, rare books, and related literature."
• Graphic Design Archive (Rochester Institute of Technology) -- Free Database This link opens in a new window “The Graphic Design Archives at RIT [Rochester Institute of Technology] document and preserve the work of significant American graphic designers active from the 1920s to the 1950s. In addition, selected contemporary designers working in the modernist traditions are also included."
• Stash (Stash Media) -- Click on SIGN IN This link opens in a new window Online video library of Animation VFX and Motion Design Note: Click on SIGN IN.
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Art and Art History : Major Resources

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Art Encyclopedia/Background Information

• Grove Art Online (contained within Oxford Art Online) Online full-text version of a 34 volume encyclopedia with signed entry articles written by art historians.
• The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History An overview of art history, the Heilbrunn Timeline pairs essays and works of art with chronologies, telling the story of art and global culture through the Museum’s collection.

Major Art Research Databases (Articles)

• Art Full Text Thorough coverage of arts of all periods and regions; includes citations or full text for 750+ art journals. Coverage from 1984-present
• Art Index Retrospective Covers art journals from 1929-1984
• ARTbibliographies Modern ABM focuses on art from the late 19th century to the present.
• Bibliography of the History of Art Focuses on European/American art from c. 400 A.D. to the present. Includes citations from 1975-2007. See International Bibliography of Art for continuation.
• International Bibliography of Art Begins with 2008 data. Focus is European art from late antiquity to the present, American art from the colonial era to the present, and global art since 1945. Continues BHA.
• JSTOR: the scholarly journal archive Contains full text of c. 120 art-related journals. Recent years are omitted.
• Art & Architecture ePortal Online collection of key backlist and out-of-print scholarly works in the fields of art and architectural history published by: The Art Institute of Chicago, The MIT Press, Yale University Press, Harvard Art Museums, and the Yale University Art Gallery. The portal allows the user to browse all images (by artist, title, or date) and allows instructors to easily create custom course packs.

Interdisciplinary databases

• Humanities International Complete Comprehensive database covering more than 2,100 journals, books and other important reference sources published worldwide in the humanities, with a focus on literary, scholarly and creative thought.
• LexisNexis Academic Good for finding reviews, obituaries, and features. International and U.S. newspapers, ethnic and regional news sources, magazines, wire services, newsletters, trade journals, company and industry analyst reports, and broadcast transcripts. Ads, obituaries, graphics typically not included. To access the source directory, click the main "Sources" tab from any page, or click the "More Sources" link from a Search form. The Wisconsin State Journal, 1992-to date; and The Capital Times, 1992-to date.
• MLA International Bibliography A subject index for books, articles and websites published on modern languages, literature, folklore, and linguistics, including art. An essential inter-disciplinary database, it is produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), an organization dedicated to the study and teaching of language and literature. Not full-text.
• Project Muse Provides digital humanities and social sciences books and journals from leading university presses and scholarly societies. Contains topic area for art and architecture.
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Includes millions of doctoral dissertations in all subject areas completed at over 700 academic institutions worldwide. Some masters theses are also included.
• ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times (1881-1994) This version of The Los Angeles Times includes full-text and full-image articles since its beginning year. Digital reproductions of every page and every article from every issue are available in downloadable PDF files.
• Proquest Historical Newspapers New York Times (1851-2014) This version of The New York Times includes full-text and full-image articles since its beginning year. Digital reproductions of every page and every article from every issue are available in downloadable PDF files.

Special Topic Art Research Databases

• Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals The major index for architecture research.
• Design and Applied Arts Index Focuses on design and crafts journals from 1973-present.
• Art History Research net Covers early 20th c. journals important to the development of 20th century design, decorative arts, architecture, and posters.
• Index to Nineteenth-Century American Art Periodicals (1844 - 1907) Indexes 42 art journals published in the United States during the nineteenth century.
• Perseus Digital Library (Classical Antiquity) Focuses on the history, literature, and culture of the Greco-Roman world
• Vernacular Architecture Forum bibliography database Bibliography is in transition, migrating to a public Zotero group.
• Index of Medieval Art

Finding Art

• ARTstor Contains approximately 1.7 million images in the areas of western and non-western art.

Writing About Art

Looking at art.

• How do you look? Promoting visual literacy at Duke University and beyond. Site poses question to help analyze what is seen; provides information and bibliographies.

Thinking About Art

• The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism Indispensable resource for scholars and students of literary and art theory. The Guide presents a comprehensive historical survey of the field's most important figures, schools, and movements.
• Next: Ebooks >>
• Last Updated: Dec 27, 2023 11:11 AM
• URL: https://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/ArtHistory

• Hirsh Health Sciences
• Webster Veterinary

Art History 101: Historiography and Methodology: Home

Overviews | bibliographies | visuals.

• Dictionary of Art Historians , Lee Sorensen, ed.

• Art History Resources on the Web
• Mother of All Art and Art History Links

Bibliographies & Review of Books

• Oxford Bibliographies: Art History .
• The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory
• CAA Reviews (College Art Association)
• H-Net Reviews in the Humanities and Social Sciences (1994 - )
• New York Review of Books (1963 - )

Visual Sources and Art Museums

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• The Institure of Contemporary Art, Boston
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• Louvre Museum
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Rijksmuseum

Primary Sources and More Resources Guides

Tufts libraries hold many primary materials, digital and in-print. For examples:

• American History, 1493-1945. Correspondence, diaries, government documents, business records, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, photographs, artwork and maps
• American Indian Histories and Culture , 1500-1998. Manuscripts, maps, atlases, legal documents, diaries, artwork, photographs, and newspapers
• American West , 1718-1968. Manuscripts, rare books, pamphlets, periodicals, broadsides, ephemera, maps and illustrative material
• Tisch Library Special Collections
• Digital Texts at Tisch Library and on the Web

More Resources Pages:

• Architecture
• African-American Visual Culture
• Armenian Art and Architecture
• Art of the Assyrian Empire
• Arts of Africa
• Buddhist Art
• Contemporary Art Since 1960
• Japanese Art and Architecture
• Latinx Art & Visual Culture
• Medieval Art, Architecture, and Visual Culture
• Renaissance Art and Architecture

Serivces and Tools

• Interlibrary Loan
• Citing Sources      Chicago Style (the manual)      Zotero (a citation tool)
• Digital Design Studio (DDS)

Evaluationg Information

Evaluating Information

Books | Articles

Finding books    .

• JumboSearch
• Libraries Worldwide  

Path of Discovery in JumboSearch, (our book catalog and more)

• Find a relevant book (e.g., from your assigned readings?)
• Note the descriptive language of the Catalog record.
• Use that language in further searches

e.g ., Click on subjects in the record to see further results and related topics; and/or combine these subject phrases with other keywords for a more focused search:

Finding Journal Articles 

1. All Subjects

2. History of Art Databases

• Art & Architecture Source
• ARTbibliographies Modern

Tip: Crash the Research Party

Subject-specific databases such as Art & Architecture Source . is where art historians and scholars are having their research party, sharing with each other their scholarship. Throw art historians/artists/ their works that interest you into the database; then "listen to" the conversations about them: how scholars have studied them? If you don’t yet have specifics in mind, entering keywords of topical themes, and observe which art historians/artists/artworks are being associated with these topics, how and why?

3. Related Subject-Databases:

• America: History & Life
• Communication & Mass Media Complete
• Film & Television Literature Index
• Historical Abstracts (World history and culture)
• LGBTQ+ Source
• Women's Studies International
• Bibliography of Asian Studies
• HAPI Online ( Hispanic American periodicals index )
• Index Islamicus (Middle-Eastern)
• Slavic and East European Studies
• International Medieval Bibliography ( 400-1500 ).
• Iter: Gateway to the Middle Ages & Renaissance (400 - 1700)

Popular Press vs Scholarly Journals

For some current artists , there may not be much scholarship on their works yet. You are more likely to find exhibition reviews in popular press and trade publications . However, there are surely scholarship on the same types of works from the past.

Exhibition reviews in popular press are likely opinion pieces . Ask yourself if these reviews are seeking to promote the artist, to criticize him/her, to judge his/her work, or simply to inform. Have the reviews changed over time? Why? How would you use these "public receptions" with other scholarly criticism?

Two sample reviews :

Tuchman, Phyllis. " Review: Rothko Rising ." Art Journal 58, no. 1 (Spring, 1999): pp. 110-112.

Johnson, Ken. " ART IN REVIEW; Mark Rothko -- 'A Painter's Progress : The Year 1949' ." The New York Times, February 6, 2004, sec. E; Part 2; Leisure/Weekend Desk.

Source of the two samples: Barnet, Sylvan, A Short Guide to Writing About Ar t (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011), p169.

Popular Press as Primary Sources

If you are examining the public/popular reception (vs critical responses) of an artist throughout time, popular press are your primary sources.

One past research paper was looking at contemporaneous reviews of Tissot's 1885 exhibition entitled Femme à Paris , held at the Galerie Sedelmeyer.

Another project was researching both the critical and popular receptions of particular iconic fashion designers and architects. The historical popular press would be especially relevant.

• The Art Bulletin.
• Art History
• Art Journal
• African Arts
• Critical Interventions
• Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art
• Museum (Previously known as Museum News)
• Museum and Society
• Museums & Social Issues
• Visitor Studies

**For some very recent artists/artworks or less studied past figures, you might need to use newspapers/magazine; then, apply scholarship on related themes/genres in study these new or old cases.

Current Newspapers

• Access World News (rich in U.S. regional news)
• Factiva (more coverage in international news)

Historical Magazines and Newspapers

• American Periodicals 1740-1940
• British Periodicals (17th century through to the early 21st)

** A complete list of newspapers, current and historical.

• Last Updated: Oct 16, 2023 9:58 AM
• URL: https://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/FAH101

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80 Brilliant Art Research Paper Topics & Ideas

Art is a course of study that requires both interest and passion. While a lot of things might interest you in art, artists mostly focus on specific aspects. Therefore, when choosing art research topics for your next paper writing, it would be best to choose a topic you are interested in. This piece contains 80 random topics in art you can consider.

• How Long is a Thesis Statement, and Where Should it Be?

Art Thesis Ideas on Ancient Civilization

Art topics to write about artist biographies, art argumentative essay topics ideas, interesting art topics on modern art, best architectural and fine art topics for research, compelling renaissance essay topics about art, theater art topics for research paper, final words about art topics, art history research paper topics.

Art is an age-long institution that has a lot of historical background. There are topics in the art that can serve as your art history paper topics. The following are the 10 best art history research paper topics to consider;

• Comparing artistic freedom and censorship in Nazi Germany.
• History of Art: From the canvas age to photography.
• Research of medieval England Gothic art.
• Abstract Expressionism history in Art.
• History of Expressionism in Western Europe.
• Historical research on neoclassical art.
• Historical review of art propaganda in America and France.
• Historical overview of sequential art of comics.
• Historical and intellectual overview of art and culture.
• The history of constructivism and the birth of the Avant-Garde.

Civilizations in ancient times were essentially artistic civilizations. You can write appealing research papers on art and ancient civilization. The following are good ancient civilization art topics for research papers;

• The ancient Egyptian arts and symbolism.
• Classical Greek art and ancient Greek sculptures.
• Comparing art civilization in classical Greece and ancient Rome.
• Mayan civilization and its impact on ancient art and culture.
• Primeval musical instruments in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
• What are the connections between Mayan pyramids and Egyptian pyramids?
• The influence of Incas in modern art.
• Aztec art and the influence of religion and culture on it.
• Writing as a form of art civilization.
• The roles of Chinese philosophy and religion in Chinese ancient art.

Writing an art research paper on the biographies of different artists is a good consideration for an artist research project. There are countless artist biographies and art history essay topics to write on. Here are the 10 best art research paper topics on artists’ biographies;

• Biography of William Blake: His art and poetry work.
• The efforts of Francisco De Goya in using art to change the world.
• The impacts and contributions of Madame Tussaud in the arts.
• Biographies of William Turner featuring his Career and Life.
• The impacts of Eugène Delacroix in the introduction of modern art.
• Vincent Van Gogh and the misunderstanding that surrounds his career.
• Gustav Klimt was the master of symbolism.
• Biography of Pablo Picasso, the father of cubism.
• Claude Monet: His impact on art and the vision of colors and light.
• Louise Bourgeois’s revolutionary moves on installation art and abstract sculpture.

Art is such an intriguing concept that may result in a lot of questioning. You can write an argumentative essay or research paper on art to give answers to some of the questions. The following are art research paper topics for good argumentative artist research paper;

• The Baroque movement’s color and sensuality are extreme in art.
• The art of manliness in the baroque period.
• Does impressionism change the basic ideas of art?
• Evaluating the definition of nature through the eyes of Manet and Monet.
• Argumentative Essay on romanticism in literature, music, and art.
• Romanticism era in art and the concept of imagination, sublime, and emotion.
• The best style of post-impressionism in art.
• Arguing on the artist with the most contribution to the post-impressionism movement.
• Pablo Picasso’s art is influenced by ancient African art.
• Does surrealism have more good than bad in art and literature?

Modern Art is a style of art prominent in the digital age. Rather than write on conventional art, there are modern art topics to write about. The following are good art research paper examples to write on modern art;

• The unique styles of modern art distinguish it from conventional art.
• The elements of light and time in cubism and impressionism.
• Digital art and its impact on modern art.
• Is Graffiti art or vandalism?
• The mystery of Banksy in urban street arts.
• Evaluating Gustav Klimt’s electrifying art ‘The Kiss’.
• Does modern European art have any influence on American artists?
• Japanese art and its influence on Vincent Van Gogh’s arts.
• The 21st-century printmaking and its impact on the digital world.
• What are the contemporary themes driving the art and feminism movement?

Architectural designs can be traced to modern art. There are art topics that should be considered by students who study architecture. The following are art topics for students in the architecture course of study;

• Modern architectural designs and the influence of Roman arts.
• Key elements of the iconic styles of Gothic architecture.
• Rococo architecture has characteristics of late Baroque architecture.
• African architecture and its sustainability system.
• Constructivism in modern art and architecture.
• Comparison of the two modern arts; Art Deco and Art Nouveau.
• The mystery behind the construction of ancient Egyptian pyramids.
• Western architecture and the influence of eastern arts.
• The union of architecture and art in contemporary design.
• Western art and the influence of Islamic architecture.

Renaissance topics for art are a good consideration for an art research paper. This aspect of art evaluates the immorality of artistic designs. Here are the top 10 topics to consider;

• Renaissance art: What are the roles of humanism and naturalism?
• The influence of Leonard Da Vinci on Renaissance art.
• Raphael’s paintings and the transcendent influence.
• What is religious symbolism in renaissance art?
• Michelangelo’s David is an icon of Italian renaissance art.
• Michelangelo’s immortal masterpiece and the Sistine Chapel.
• How the Harlem Renaissance drove social changes through art.
• The unity of music and art in renaissance art.
• Renaissance art and culture and the influence of science on them.
• The mythology and the realism of Botticelli’s art, ‘The Birth Of Venus’.

Theater art is a special aspect of art. There are art history thesis ideas that prove theater art is contemporary art and not modern. Meanwhile, you can equally consider writing on the following theater art essay topics;

• The Greek theater and its history.
• Does ancient Greek theater have any influence on modern theater?
• Theater and its cultural evolution.
• Evaluating the contributions of William Shakespeare in drama and theater Art.
• The difference between modern theater and Elizabethan.
• What role does music play in the theater?
• What are expression and improvisation in the theater?
• The history of Broadway.
• Theatre of the absurd and Samuel Beckett.
• Theater’s effectiveness in causing social and cultural changes.

Art is a broad course of study with different aspects. Writing an art research paper requires that you consider your area of interest before choosing your art research paper topic. Above are the top 80 Art research paper topics and ideas to write about.

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Feminist Art History: An Introductory Reading List

Beginning with texts written in the 1970s, this reading list shows how the major questions, critiques, and debates developed in the field of feminist art history.

Off the top of your head, how many women artists can you name? If you can list more than a handful or the ever-popular Frida Kahlo or Georgia O’Keeffe, you have the work of feminist art historians to thank.

Beginning in earnest in the 1970s, feminists began to question the lack of women accounted for in art historical scholarship and in museums. There was no lack of representations of women in art made by men, but little attention had been dedicated to women artists themselves. There was a new urgency to revise the traditional art historical canon and make space for the women who had been overlooked, diminished, or given no credit for their work. While there is, as always, more work to be done to account for women artists globally, there have been major developments in the field over the past five decades. This introductory reading list, while non-exhaustive, will provide a sense of how feminist art history as a field developed, including its major questions, critiques, and debates.

Nochlin, Linda. “ Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? ” ARTnews 69, no. 9 (1971): 22–39, 67–71.

In 1971, Linda Nochlin published this groundbreaking and soon-to-be canonical essay that helped initiate a new era for the writing and development of art history—one characterized by a serious turn toward women artists and the contexts in which they worked. Nochlin urges readers to question, rather than passively accept, “the white Western male viewpoint” and, with it, the notion of “male genius.” By doing so, it becomes possible to interrogate the forces that have historically prevented women from achieving the same levels of acclaim, including their lack of institutional support and access to a serious arts education upon which their male counterparts thrived. This essay has previously been covered on JSTOR Daily . You can read Ellen C. Caldwell’s take here .

Vogel, Lise. “ Fine Arts and Feminism: The Awakening Consciousness .” Feminist Studies 2, no. 1 (1974): 3–37.

In this essay, Lise Vogel argues that the creation and sustenance of feminist art and art history begin in studio art, art history, and art appreciation courses. It’s not until more data is collected, she argues, that this work, and with it, a revision of “traditional” art history, can fully commence: scholars must begin with the “tremendous effort of basic, almost archaeological research” of “unearthing, documenting, and interpreting the art produced by women artists.” Vogel is explicit in calling on her contemporaries to explore how a feminist approach can open up traditional art history topics while also urging them to integrate the necessary intersections of race and class into their framework. For Vogel, feminist art history does not solely concern gender and sexuality, and therefore it cannot exist without proper and serious engagement with these additional factors that form “an integrated expression of the reality of social relations within capitalist society.”

Sandell, Renee. “ Female Aesthetics: The Women’s Art Movement and Its Aesthetic Split .” Journal of Aesthetic Education 14, no. 4 (1980): 106–10.

While the women’s movement of the 1970s encouraged women artists and feminist art historians and critics alike to “change the art world to function in a more socially responsible, nonelitist way, while demanding equal opportunities and recognition for women in the arts,” such progress was not without controversy. In this essay, Renee Sandell provides an overview of an unresolved, yet ultimately productive, ideological debate concerning the notion of a “female aesthetic” preventing the total unification of the movement’s members. While some artists and historians believed that women’s unique social position translated into a distinctive and authentic “aesthetic language,” others argued that this idea is “essentially limiting, since it prescribes artistic forms and contents for use by women artists.” Ultimately, this debate allowed members of the field to consider whether gender informs how artists produce art.

Pollock, Griselda. “ Women, Art and Ideology: Questions for Feminist Art Historians .” Woman’s Art Journal 4, no. 1 (1983): 39–47.

Griselda Pollock calls for a critique of art history, “not just as a way of writing about the art of the past, but as an institutionalized ideological practice which contributes to the reproduction of the social system by its offered images and interpretations of the world.” It isn’t enough to merely incorporate women into an art historical canon from which they have previously been dismissed, nor is it enough to merely list the ways in which they have been delayed or oppressed. Instead, art historians should work to contest the myths concerning masculinity and femininity propagated by traditional art history that reproduce and reinforce gendered hierarchies. Further, Pollock urges art historians to avoid homogenizing women artists, thereby treating them as “representatives of their gender.” Pollock argues that this practice ultimately masks, if not erases, the influence of unique factors, including race, class, and nationality, on women’s art production.

Gouma-Peterson, Thalia, and Patricia Mathews. “ The Feminist Critique of Art History .” The Art Bulletin 69, no. 3 (1987): 326–57.

Thalia Gouma-Peterson and Patricia Mathews provide a necessary and detailed survey of the developments and debates of feminist art history from Nochlin’s provocative 1971 essay through the 1980s. This essay is an essential primer for anyone interested in the history of the field as well as an overview of its major contributors. Gouma-Peterson and Mathews cover lots of ground, including such topics and debates as American versus European methodologies, art versus craft, the notion of female sensibility, female sexuality, and (often sexualized and/or moralizing) images of women.  Notably, the essay’s structure clarifies the differences between what the authors call the first and second generations of feminist art historians and critics, and the authors discuss the influence of feminist theory and criticism outside of the discipline on the second generation. The authors, too, provide a warning for those writing books on the lives of women artists that follow the precedent set by prior monographs on “great” male artists. The attempt to place women, through these texts, “within the traditional historical framework” is “ultimately self-defeating, for it fixes women within preexisting structures without questioning the validity of these structures.” Even more critically, the authors warn, this practice “comes dangerously close to creating its own canon of white female artists (primarily painters), a canon that is almost as restrictive and exclusionary as its male counterpart.

Hagaman, Sally. “ Feminist Inquiry in Art History, Art Criticism, and Aesthetics: An Overview for Art Education .” Studies in Art Education 32, no. 1 (1990): 27–35.

Sally Hagaman, like Gouma-Peterson and Mathews, surveys first- and second-generation approaches to feminist art history, criticism, and, additionally, aesthetics. Most importantly, however, she centralizes the place of the art education classroom in the spread of a revised and expanded art historical canon. In traditional art history textbooks, the presence of women was (unsurprisingly) incredibly limited; Hagaman is concerned with the use of these texts in art teacher education. Though feminist inquiry was making waves within art history, criticism, and their specialized audiences, such change was slow to be reflected in art history textbooks, meaning pre-service art teachers (and therefore their students) were likely receiving an art history education that was more staunchly steeped in the field’s traditional values and approaches than one might expect. Hagaman calls for the broadening of art curricula to reflect the work and experiences of women artists, and she argues that it is the responsibility of university professors to ensure that their art history and art education students are prepared to teach and engage thoughtfully with these topics and issues.

Garrard, Mary D. “ Feminist Art and The Essentialism Controversy .” The Centennial Review 39, no. 3 (1995): 468–92.

In this essay, Mary D. Garrard discusses the feminist movement’s incredibly divisive essentialism debate—one that impacted how critics wrote about feminist art that emerged in the 1970s. The essentialist position argued that “woman [the biologically female body] has an essence , inborn attributes that define her as an unchanging being across all time and cultures.” Critics of this position (known as anti-essentialists) took issue with the way feminism became limited to the female body and argued that gender and femininity were historically and socially constructed. Garrard then acknowledges this debate’s development along generational lines: “feminists of the early 1970s needed a clear-cut ‘us vs. them’ construct to unify and galvanize women against the male establishment they had only just realized was pitted against them.”  By the 1980s, Garrard states, women felt the need to “resist what they felt to be the restrictive and limiting dimensions of their feminist legacy.” Garrard then argues the subsequent turn towards victimhood and the “scapegoating” of essentialists came at the cost of endangering female agency and repressing women further.

Broude, Norma, and Mary D. Garrard. “ Feminist Art History and the Academy: Where Are We Now? ” Women’s Studies Quarterly 25, no. 1/2 (1997): 212–22.

Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard call for feminists to resist identifying as radical scholars and instead confidently take hold of and embrace a new central position within the academy. The authors note that art history has been a conservative and slow-to-change (or “monolithic”) discipline, especially in comparison to fields like literary studies, and that in 1987, there were far too few feminist art historians holding professorships. Yet, they acknowledge that the doors have finally begun to open for departments to commit to and normalize this way of seeing.

Clark, Roger, Ashley R. Folgo, and Jane Pichette. “ Have There Now Been Any Great Women Artists? An Investigation of the Visibility of Women Artists in Recent Art History Textbooks .” Art Education 58, no. 3 (2005): 6–13.

Through this fascinating study, Roger Clark, Ashley R. Folgo, and Jane Pichette reveal the extent to which women artists and their works have become more visible in art history textbooks since 1974. The authors conclude that gender plays an important role in the authorship of these texts. At the time of the study, textbooks solely authored by men, with no women co-authors, editors, or consultants, were unlikely to acknowledge women artists. Textbooks geared towards high school art teachers (most of whom were female) and which included women in the authorship process devoted more space to women and were also more likely to include, not just painting, sculpture, and photography, but also newly recognized art forms, including quilt-making and public art. Women artists from the twentieth century were also most likely to be acknowledged. The authors ultimately argue that the inclusion of these women in art history textbooks is a necessary step toward inspiring a new generation of female artists and encouraging the academy and the public to recognize their true greatness.

Kahlo, Frida, and Kathe Kollwitz. “ Transgressive Techniques of the Guerrilla Girls .” Getty Research Journal , no. 2 (2010): 203–8.

After forming in New York City in 1985, the Guerilla Girls quickly became known for their feminist activism as they publicly challenged museums and textbooks for their lack of women artists. The true identities of the protest group’s members remain unknown. Notice the authors of this essay: Frida Kahlo and Käthe Kollwitz passed away in 1954 and 1945, respectively. Each Guerilla Girl takes on the name of a deceased woman artist to preserve their anonymity, allowing their focus to truly be on their fight against sexism and racism in the art world rather than their individual lives or careers. This essay provides an overview of the group’s “art of creative complaining” and how they have used posters, billboards, and publications to make their criticism both unignorable and publicly accessible.

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Fields, Jill. “ Frontiers in Feminist Art History .” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 33, no. 2 (2012): 1–21.

In this introduction to a special issue on feminist art history, Jill Fields surveys the major developments and debates in feminist art and art history since the 1970s. Importantly, Fields urges readers to consider the movement’s influence and developments outside of major urban centers such as New York City and Los Angeles: much of this work has taken place not just in large cultural centers but also in domestic, public, and educational spaces. As this special issue attests, our understanding of the feminist art movement on a global scale is born out of increased attention to local perspectives, or “the distinct experiences, innovations, accomplishments, and difficulties of artists working in varied locations,” including, in this issue’s case, collaborative exhibitions and communities in Chicago, Europe, and Israel.

Horne, Victoria, and Amy Tobin. “ An Unfinished Revolution in Art Historiography, or How to Write a Feminist Art History .” Feminist Review , no. 107 (2014): 75–83.

Victoria Horne and Amy Tobin emphasize that feminism is a movement of uneven development and therefore cannot be boiled down to a singular approach. Instead of being “fixed as a particular methodology,” feminism is “a strategically adopted political position from which to write.” Additionally, the authors discuss the differences in feminist art history’s emergence in the United States versus the United Kingdom: past initiatives in the UK largely took place in collective and “radically contingent spaces” outside of the academy. Horne and Tobin ultimately argue that while feminist art historians of the late twentieth century collaboratively and “profoundly engaged in testing the limits of art historical knowledge,” feminism in the 2010s (and, perhaps, beyond) should “not be reduced to an optional tool or methodology.” The authors, then, propose that historians of all generations must come together informally to “interrogate our individual and collective motivations for writing political art histories.”

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180 Art Research Topics To Wake Your Inner Creator Up

We know, finding great art research topics can be a pretty difficult thing to do nowadays. Your classmates are all scouring the Internet in search of easy – but interesting – topics. The last thing you want is to pick a topic that has already been chosen. You want to be original. You want your professor to notice the effort you’ve put into finding the perfect topic. This is why you should take a look at our list of art research topics. All of them are original and interesting. And, best of all, the list is updated and new topics are added periodically.

Writing a Proper Art Research Paper

Writing a research paper on a topic in painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, cinema, music, or theater can be tricky if you don’t have much experience. To come to your aid, we have included a short list of tips that should help you write the best possible art research paper as quickly as possible:

Obviously, you need to find an engaging topic for your paper Spend some time on crafting the thesis statement (it’s very important) Only use information from authoritative sources that you can check Make sure all citations and references are properly formatted It pays to start your writing project with an outline Stay organized and follow the outline until you finish the paper Don’t forget to edit your work and then proofread it thoroughly Finally, don’t forget that you can get professional academic writing help, if necessary

In this blog post, we will help you with a list of 180 original art research topics for your next paper. The topics, organized in 20 categories, can be found below and are 100% free. Furthermore, if you have more important things to do, rather than going through that long and boring process, you can pay someone to write a paper and feel free to spend your time as you wish.

Brand New Art Topics for Research Papers

Below, you can find our brand new art topics for research papers. All of these topics have been recently added and we think that all of them should work great in 2023:

• Compare 2 major themes of art
• Discuss the adversity theme in art
• Is digital 3D motion graphic design an art?
• Discuss artistic styles in modern art
• An in-depth look at digital art
• Social media in 2023 art
• Talk about the popularity of art fairs
• Should you become an art historian?
• Peculiarities of abstract art of the 21st century
• Talk about Cubism influences in art
• What is mixed media art?

Artist Research Paper Ideas

Would you like to talk about artists? No problem, we’ve got an entire list of artist research paper ideas for you right here. Choose the best one and start writing in minutes:

• The life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat
• The importance of Peter Doig’s work
• Modern paintings by Christopher Wool
• Influences in Rudolf Stingel’s art
• An in-depth look at Salvador Dali’s work
• The neo-Pop movement (Yoshitomo Nara)
• Richard Prince’s use of mass-media images in art
• The instability of life in Zeng Fanzhi’s paintings
• The life and work of Frida Kahlo
• Andy Warhol’s rise in popularity
• Discuss the themes in Vincent van Gogh’s work
• The importance of Jackson Pollock for modern art

Art History Research Paper Topics

If you want to talk about art history, you will be thrilled to learn that we are offering a list of art history research paper topics for free. Check out the latest version of the topics list:

• Imagery and symbolism in Carlo Crivelli’s work
• Talk about evolution and devolution in Willem de Kooning’s work
• An in-depth look at Chinese art
• The 3 most important architecture themes
• Talk about the portrayal of war in contemporary art
• The most important literary works of the 20th century
• European art during Medieval times
• The importance of prehistoric art in Mesopotamia

Art Topics to Write About in High School

Are you looking for some art topics to write about in high school? Don’t worry about it; we’ve got your back. We have a whole list of topics dedicated to high school students right here:

• Talk about the use of symbols in Egyptian art
• Discuss Mayan architecture
• An in-depth look at Chinese ancient paintings
• Light in Claude Monet’s work
• Talk about the peculiarities of Romanticism
• Discuss the Surrealism movement
• The importance of the Sistine Chapel paintings
• A closer look at the Harlem Renaissance

Most Interesting Art Topics

We know you want to write a paper on something interesting. After all, you probably want to impress your professor, don’t you? Here are our most interesting art topics:

• Discuss peculiarities of Iranian cinema movies
• Talk about Hindi architecture
• Best Chinese novels ever written
• Artistic similarities between the US and Canada
• Talk about a famous painter in the United Kingdom
• The ascendance motif in Raphael’s work
• Talk about feminism in contemporary art
• Japanese motifs in Claude Monet’s paintings

Advanced Art Topics

We are most certain that your professor will appreciate the effort if you choose to write your paper on a more complex topic. Here are some advanced art topics you could try:

• The emergence of urban street art
• Cubism in Pablo Picasso paintings
• The life and works of Louise Bourgeois
• Talk about the influence of the paranormal on art
• An in-depth look at Aztec religious art
• Talk about a primeval music instrument of your choice
• Talk about sculpture in Ancient Rome
• Discuss the use of art for propaganda means

Fun Art Topic Ideas

Who said writing a research paper about art can’t be fun? It all depends on the topic you choose. To help you out, we have compiled a list of fun art topic ideas. Check it out below:

• Depictions of extraterrestrials in art
• Using art during the war
• 3 most creative uses of paintings
• Talk about the emergence of NFT art
• Interesting traits of the Bauhaus movement
• Sculptures that make you laugh
• Interesting depictions of the human anatomy
• The most famous graffiti in the United States

Art Topics Good for College Students

Of course we have many art topics that are good for college students. Our experts have recently finished updating the list of ideas, so go ahead and choose the one you like the most:

• Analyze the Surrealism period
• Postmodernism in 2023 art
• The life and work of Auguste Renoir
• Talk about French caricatures
• The benefits of art therapy
• Hitler and his contribution to arts
• War dances in the Maori society

Controversial Art Topics to Write About

M any students find writing a research paper challenging. There are many controversial topics in art that you can talk about in a research paper. Take a look at some of the most controversial art topics to write about and take your pick:

• Discuss The Last Judgement by Michelangelo
• The controversies surrounding Marcel Duchamp
• Graffiti: vandalism or art?
• Why is art so controversial?
• What makes a drawing a piece of art?
• Architecture: art or utility? 

Easy Topics for Art Papers

If you want to spend as little time as possible writing the research paper, you need an easier topic. Fortunately for you, our experts have compiled a list of easy topics for art papers right here:

• Types of Chinese jewelry
• Analyze art in South Korea
• The first recorded music instrument
• Discuss a novel of your choice
• Talk about Venetian carnival masks
• The life and works of Giuseppe Verdi
• Compare and contrast 3 war dances
• American Indian art over the years
• An in-depth look at totem masks
• Art in sub-Saharan Africa
• Talk about art in North Korea

Modern/Contemporary Art History Topics

Yes, we really do have a list of the best modern/contemporary art history topics. As usual, you can choose any of our topics and even reword it without giving us any credit. Take your pick:

• Talk about 5 artistic styles in modern art
• Talk about activism and art
• Discuss the role of political cartoons
• The role of digital art in 2023
• Is printmaking really an art?
• Discuss the theme of identity politics
• Political critique through the use of art
• Most interesting works of contemporary art

Ancient Art Topics

Do you want to talk about ancient art? It’s not a simple subject, but we’re certain you will manage just fine. Check out our latest list of ancient art topics and select the one you like the most:

• Analyze the El Castillo Cave Paintings
• Ancient art in India
• An in-depth look at the Diepkloof Eggshell Engravings
• Ancient art in Persia
• Why is ancient art so important?
• Ancient art in China
• What makes ancient art unique?

Ideas for an Art Research Project

Did your teacher ask you to come up with an idea for an art research project? Don’t worry about it too much because we have plenty of ideas for an art research project right here:

• Research 3 Kpop artists and their work
• Uncover signs of prehistoric art in your area
• Make a rain painting on your own
• Design a Zen garden in your backyard
• Make a 3D sculpture on your computer
• Make a wall mural for your school
• Experiment with pin art
• Experiment with sand art

Fine Arts Research Paper Topics

If you would prefer to write about the fine arts, you have definitely arrived at the right place. We have a long list of interesting fine arts research paper topics below:

• Is drawing a form of art?
• An in-depth analysis of the Mona Lisa
• The Girls with a Pearl Earring painting
• An in-depth analysis of Venus of Willendorf
• A closer look at the Terracotta Army
• Discuss a piece of abstract architecture
• A closer look at the Burj Khalifa architecture
• Discuss Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats

Renaissance Art Topics

Did you know that our Renaissance art topics have been used by more than 500 students to date? This is a clear indication that our ideas are some of the best on the Web:

• Talk about the Linear perspective in Renaissance art
• Discuss the altarpieces found in Renaissance art
• An in-depth look at anatomy in Renaissance art
• Discuss the Fresco cycles
• Talk about the peculiarities of the landscape
• Influences of Realism in Renaissance art
• Analyze the use of light in Renaissance art
• Discuss the humanism theme
• Talk about the individualism theme in Renaissance art

The Best Baroque Art Topics

We can assure you that you teacher will greatly appreciate it if you choose one of these Baroque topics. Remember, this is the place where you can find the best Baroque art topics:

• Discuss the Grandeur theme in Baroque art
• An in-depth look at the sensuous richness theme
• Talk about the importance of religious paintings
• Talk about the emotional exuberance theme
• Allegories in Baroque art
• The life and works of Annibale Carracci
• The life and works of Nicolas Poussin

Art Debate Topics

Are you planning an art debate? If you are, you most definitely need some great art debate topics to choose from. Talk to your team and propose them any of these awesome ideas:

• Do artists need talent to sculpt?
• The best painter in the world today
• Can graffiti be considered a form of art?
• The best sculpture ever made
• Can we consider dance a form of art?
• The best painting ever made
• Should we study arts in school?
• The best literary work ever written
• Why is Banksy’s work so controversial?
• The best singer of all time
• How can photographs be considered works of art?

Artist Biography Topics

Our experts have put together a list of the most intriguing artist biography topics for you. You should be able to find more than enough information about each artist on the Internet:

• Talk about the life of Michael Jackson
• Discuss the works of Leonardo da Vinci
• Discuss the importance of Elvis Presley’s work
• The life and works of Rembrandt
• The importance of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpieces
• The importance of Michelangelo’s paintings
• Talk about the life of Vincent van Gogh
• Auguste Rodin’s sculptures
• The life and works of Donatello
• The life and works of Leo Tolstoy
• Discuss Jane Austen’s literary works

Art Therapy Topics

Choosing one of our captivating art therapy topics will definitely get your research paper noticed. This is a field that has been growing in popularity for years. Check out our latest ideas:

• The importance of photography in art therapy
• Reducing pain through art therapy
• Art therapy for PTST patients
• Art therapy against the stress of the modern world
• Improving the quality of life through art therapy
• Positive health effects of finger painting
• The effects of art therapy on 3 mental health disorders
• The effects of art therapy on autism
• Art therapy and psychotherapy
• The job of an art therapist
• Benefits of art therapy for mental health

Art Epochs Paper Topics

If you want to write your paper on one of the many art epochs, you could give our art epochs paper topics a try. You should find plenty of great ideas in the list below:

• The legacy of the Romanesque period
• The importance of the Romanticism movement
• Talk about the Mannerism movement
• Discuss The New Objectivity movement
• Pop-art in the 21st century
• An in-depth look at abstract impressionism
• The importance of the Gothic Era
• Talk about the Classicist movement
• Peculiarities of Cubism art
• What is Futurism in art?
• Discuss the great artists of the Baroque era
• Interesting facts about the Rococo period
• The Art Nouveau era

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