This 5 page essay will build upon the skill of visual analysis you have begun to develop in class
and will include research to support your ideas about the selected works of art.
Choose a theme or topic to write about and use 2-3 works of art to demonstrate your ideas. You
must describe these works and build connections between them based on observation, research,
and interpretation.
For each work chosen, provide a vivid visual description using rich, expressive language.
Focus on formal elements of the work of art: line, shape, color, texture, composition, and
brushstroke as well as techniques such as one point perspective. Your description should
allow the reader to imagine what the work looks like without seeing it. Describe how the
artist used these elements to create this work.
Next you should discuss your understanding of this work. What aspects of the work are
significant? How do the elements described above impact your understanding of each
work? How do they relate to the theme or topic you have chosen? Be sure to include 2-3
cultural or historical points that are illustrated by these pieces. How is each artwork similar, how
are they different? Use evidence to back up your ideas by referencing what you see in the art
work.
You must include a bibliography with at least 3 sources and they must be cited and properly
referenced.
Please include a cover page with a title and your name.
The essay should be written in Times New Roman with 1-inch margins, double spaced, in 12 or
11pt type.
In addition to the 5 page essay, you must include on a separate page an image of each work with
the following information for each: the artist, the title (in italics or underlined), the date, and the
medium (drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, etc.).
Here are some tips to consider about writing when working on your essay:
 Details matter—they are connected to the big idea
 Think about multiple points of view
 There is not one right or wrong answer
 One simple idea can become an elaborate story
 Elaborate on your idea in order to see the big picture
 Write about what you observe, but don’t end it there: Infer, connect, relate, create
 Transition through topics with something related
A great reference for writing about works of art: writingaboutart.org