Paper Guidelines

The “Compare and Contrast” essay is a popular method for discussing works of art. You will be asked to write an essay using this format on each exam. Compare and Contrast essay questions are intended to stimulate you to explore the differences between the period styles of the two works of art compared, and /or the individual styles of the two artists who created them. You may also explore not only the stylistic differences between the two works but discuss the effect that these stylistic differences had on the subject matter, theme or symbolism of the works. “Compare,” should tell you to look for similarities while “Contrast” should suggest looking for differences. In any compare and contrast analysis you ought to begin with the basics such as identifying the work of art (artist, title, period/style) and giving a description of the work and its special features. The following is a list of issues to consider in your analysis:

Culture/artist: Who produced it?
Period/style: When and where was it produced?
Function: What was its purpose?
Physical context: How was it used? How does it relate to its environment? Where was it located?
Medium/material: What is it made of?
Scale: What size is it?
Subject matter: Who or what is the subject? Doesn’t apply to architecture
Sacred or secular: Is it religious or non-religious in function and/or subject?
Artistic conventions: What reoccurring techniques, devices or motifs are used?
Abstraction/realism: How are the figures and forms rendered?
Cultural context: What was going on historically, socially, politically, religiously during the period in which it was produced?
Symbolism/themes: Why was it produced? What symbolic meaning or message does it convey to the viewer?

Be sure to employ specific art history terms from your vocabulary list in your essay comparison. This will help demonstrate your knowledge of the works and the subject of art history. Check your response: What is the main point of the comparison? Why did your instructor choose these two particular works to compare? How do they epitomize the culture and period that produced them? Use complete sentences and paragraphs including a brief introduction and wrap your essay up with a conclusion that reminds your reader of the main point.