Where to look for a good visual analysis essay sample

When you have been assigned to write your essay it can already feel overwhelming because there are always so many other things for a student to focus on. Additionally, there are many different types of papers. You may ask yourself, what is a visual analysis paper anyway?

They say a picture paints a thousand words. While this may be true, it can be difficult to come up with the words to describe your thoughts when you see the picture. Every image invokes different thoughts and feelings in to the minds of different people. Will you see the same thing as someone else? Will you interpret it the same way? Probably not. That’s what makes a visual analysis essay so interesting.

Where to find good samples

When looking online to find a sample paper to give you an idea of how to write, you may want to search in the following places:

  • University or college websites
  • Writing agencies where students buy homework
  • How-to or tutorial sites about writing college papers

You can also inquire at your school library or your teacher and see if they keep some samples of previous students’ papers for you to look at.

What is a visual analysis paper?

These are commonly assigned for art history courses, English or other types of history courses. Their purpose is to teach the student to create meaning from a visual piece. The time frame of the artwork has a big impact on how the visual piece would be analyzed. Expressions on people’s faces, what the animals, children or other subjects within the art work also play a role in the analysis.

Here are some questions to ask yourself while contemplating the meaning of the work:

  • What is the setting?
  • What are people doing?
  • What are the emotions?
  • Make a vivid description of the image so the reader can paint the picture in their mind.
  • How was the image created?
  • Do you know any interesting facts about the piece of art or about the artist?
  • Is there a controversial issue or possible misunderstanding that could be portrayed by this visual piece?

A good sample paper should show you the things the writer was looking for when they analyzed the picture. It would also generate some ideas of questions you could ask yourself while looking at the picture and trying to convey meaning to your reader.