A.P. Art History Essay Writing Tips 1. Read the essay prompt 2-3 times and underline or highlight the key parts of the question. 2. Before you begin writing, brainstorm or write ideas in a chart form. 3. Open your essay with a thesis (reword the question in an arguable statement). On the A.P. exam, you are expected to get right to the point. 4. Introduce the artworks (full identification of artist, title, style/time) in the intro. You do not need to make a separate sentence for the I.D. but rather can slip that info into the body of the paragraph. For example, do not make a statement like, “Picasso painted Guernica in 1937.” Instead, include the important I.D. info in a sentence providing additional information. For example, “Picasso’s Guernica, 1937, demonstrates how art can be used to express a political opinion. 5. Underline or italicize (if typing) the titles of artworks. Do not use “quote marks.” 6. Be as specific as possible when identifying artworks while maintaining accuracy (i.e. not just “Egyptian,” but “Old Kingdom Egyptian.”) 7. If the essay requires you to compare two works or discuss two works, organize your paper so you discuss artwork #1 in one paragraph, then artwork #2 in the next paragraph. As you discuss artwork #2 include your compare/contrast ideas. 8. Substantiate your answers with reasons in the form of facts or observations. Give at least three supports for each paragraph to support your thesis. 9. Use a transition when switching topics. For example, “Unlike artist #1, artist #2 completed…” 10. Create a topic sentence or main idea for each paragraph. Make sure all topic sentences reinforce your thesis. 11. Use complete sentences to describe your ideas. Fragment sentences, outlines, notes and diagrams will not be given credit unless there is written text (in complete sentences) to explain your ideas. 12. Avoid the passive voice (is, was are, were). Passive voice will not be accepted in take-home essays or research papers (formal assignments that you have time to proofread and edit). It may be accepted in an in-class essay where there are time constraints. For example, Poor: The canvases are painted by Picasso. Improved: Picasso painted many Cubist canvases. 13. Answer all parts of the essay prompt explicitly. If the question asks for you to contrast the differences, then do that, don’t list the similarities. Include as much information as you can while answering the question. Be careful not to go off on a tangent. 14. You almost always need to give a specific example of art to support your thesis. 15. Avoid contractions. For example, Poor: One can’t tell the difference between Braques and Picasso. Improved: One cannot tell the difference between Braques and Picasso. 16. Avoid abbreviations. For example, Poor: 15th c. Italian sculpture or 25 ft. tall Improved: 15th century Italian sculpture or 25 feet tall Exception: On the A.P. exam, you may abbreviate the slide on the left as (L) and the slide on the right as (R). 17. Write out numbers under 10. For example, Poor: He created 5 works during the Impressionist period. Improved: He created five works during the Impressionist period. 18. Avoid judgments. Do not say a work of art is the best, most impressive, better, worse, or ugly. 19. Avoid the first (“I”) and second (“you”) person voice. Do not say, “I think…” or “You can see…” Poor: You can see the difference in his color palette between his early and late periods. Improved: One can see the difference in his color palette…
20. Keep the verb tense consistent throughout the essay. The present tense is recommended. 21. Avoid colloquial language like “cool” or “awesome.” Find a better word choice to express yourself. 22. Avoid cliché expressions and meaningless words like “very,” “so,” “really.” 23. Avoid absolutes. Review these changes from an absolute statement to a qualified statement: no little always usually very somewhat proves supports or suggests none lack of 24. Depending on the time available for an in-class essay, you may not need a conclusion. If there is time, do more than simply restating the thesis. Try to give possible implications of your thesis to the history of art or the development of style. 25. Take-home essays, research papers, and any essays that are done outside the classroom must be typed and proofread. Use a 12-point, standard font like Times or Arial, create one inch margins, and double space it (so I can write feedback on it). Use the spelling and grammar check.
Introduction should have: • Thesis and introduction of your chosen artworks that support your thesis. • Full I.D. of artworks.
Each body paragraph should have: • Topic sentence that supports thesis (usually referring to an artwork). • Three facts or observations about the work of art that support your thesis.