History Of Art Dissertation Ideas: 10 Areas To Explore


History of Art is a field that studies the development through the history and the stylistic context, such as format, design, genre and style, of any objects of art. Students that study this field are indecisive when it comes to choosing a topic for dissertation. It is due to the many areas for exploring and they are all interesting. This article offers several areas of the History of Art, that students find interesting for a dissertation topic. The Art of the West Culture includes the areas:

  • Ancient art – This is an area that explores the art of the ancient world, especially the period of the ancient Romans and Greeks, starting from the Geometry period and Archaic period, to the period of the Roman Empire. Therefore, we can divide this period in:
    • Art of Greeks
    • Art of Romans
  • Renaissance Art – This area offers several interesting subareas to explore. Art in different countries was different in this period. Italy, as the place where the Renaissance Art started, and the other countries as countries that developed the Art during the period. Therefore, we can explore:
    • Art of Germany
    • Art of Italy
    • Art of England
  • Baroque Art – The Baroque was opulent and in vogue. This style of art was popular in several countries in Europe: England, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. We can explore:
    • Flemish Baroque Art
    • Italian Baroque Art
    • French Baroque Art
    • Dutch Baroque Art
  • Medieval Art – There were grand pieces of architecture built in this period that looked like the ancient buildings of the Romans, that’s why the period is also known as Romanesque period.
  • Gothic Art – This is the period when some of the very beautiful cathedrals started building as a reflection of the power of the Church of the Christians. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was built in this period.
  • 18th Century Art – The Neoclassicism as inspired of the ancient Art and the Rocco inspired of the Baroque Art dominated in this period.
  • 19th Century Art – There are many movements in this period. Artists loved playing with styles, combining them in fruitful art pieces. There are several interesting areas to explore during this period:
    • Romanticism
    • Realism
    • Symbolism
    • Impressionism
    • Post-Impressionism
  • Modern Art – This area explores the modern art of recent authors from the 20th century onwards.

As you may see there is a variety of areas to explore in the history of art. There even areas that are not mentioned here, such as Eastern Art. Choose an area for a topic and good luck with your dissertation!