Best examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays for students

When teachers assign an art comparison, they’re usually hoping you’ll pick famous artworks so you can connect your ideas to well-known movements and historical moments. Let’s walk through several examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays that work beautifully at high school, AP, and college levels.

1. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa vs. Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring

This is one of the best examples for beginners because both works are:

• Single-figure portraits
• Painted in oil
• Famous enough that you can find endless references and high-resolution images

How to compare them in an essay:

You might start with similarities: both paintings show a solitary figure against a dark background, with soft lighting and a calm, intimate mood. Then you shift into contrasts that actually say something:

• Gaze and engagement: The Mona Lisa meets the viewer with a subtle, almost mysterious smile, while Girl with a Pearl Earring captures a sudden, over-the-shoulder glance. You can argue that da Vinci creates a quiet, timeless presence, while Vermeer freezes a fleeting, almost cinematic moment.
• Setting and detail: The Mona Lisa includes a dreamlike, atmospheric landscape behind the figure, hinting at Renaissance interest in nature and perspective. Vermeer strips the background away, focusing attention completely on the girl’s face and the glowing pearl.
• Technique: Both artists use soft transitions of light and shadow, but Vermeer’s color contrasts (the blue turban, yellow jacket, and luminous skin) feel more dramatic.

An effective thesis might be: While both portraits create an intimate connection with the viewer, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa presents an idealized, timeless figure, whereas Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring feels like a captured moment, emphasizing spontaneity and immediacy.

This pairing is a classic example of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays that works well for discussing portraiture, light, and mood.

2. Michelangelo’s David vs. Bernini’s David

If you want to write about sculpture, this is one of the best examples to choose. Both are marble statues of the biblical hero David, both are life-size or larger, and both were created in Italy—but they belong to different eras.

Key points for your compare and contrast essay:

• Moment in time: Michelangelo’s David shows David before the battle, calm and focused. Bernini’s David shows him mid-action, twisting his body just as he’s about to sling the stone.
• Emotion and movement: Michelangelo emphasizes ideal beauty and tense concentration. Bernini emphasizes drama, strain, and physical effort.
• Style and period: Michelangelo’s work is High Renaissance—balanced, controlled, and harmonious. Bernini’s is Baroque—dynamic, emotional, and theatrical.

Your thesis could argue that: Michelangelo’s David reflects Renaissance ideals of calm rationality and perfect proportion, while Bernini’s David embodies the Baroque love of drama, movement, and emotional intensity.

This pairing is a powerful example of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays for showing how different art movements interpret the same story.

3. Van Gogh’s Starry Night vs. Monet’s Water Lilies (choose any panel)

Students often love this comparison because both artists are hugely famous, and both paintings feel dreamy and emotional.

Ways to build your comparison:

• Subject matter: Both focus on nature—sky and village for Van Gogh, pond and lilies for Monet.
• Brushwork: Van Gogh uses thick, swirling strokes that feel intense and restless. Monet uses softer, layered strokes that dissolve the edges of objects, creating a hazy, meditative surface.
• Color and mood: Starry Night has strong contrasts—deep blues, bright yellows—that create tension and energy. Water Lilies often uses closer color harmonies, inviting a calm, almost hypnotic viewing experience.
• Purpose: You can argue that Van Gogh is expressing inner turmoil and emotion through the landscape, while Monet is exploring how light and color change over time, focusing more on perception than emotion.

This is one of the best examples for showing how two artists move beyond realistic description and use color and brushwork to express feeling.

4. Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon vs. Henri Matisse’s The Dance

Now let’s move into modern art. These two works are bold, strange, and perfect for a more advanced compare and contrast essay.

Angles for your analysis:

• Figure style: Picasso fractures the female body into sharp, angular planes, influenced by African masks and Iberian sculpture. Matisse simplifies bodies into flowing, rounded shapes.
• Emotion and energy: Les Demoiselles d’Avignon feels tense, confrontational, even aggressive. The Dance feels rhythmic, celebratory, and free.
• Color: Picasso’s color is more muted and fragmented; Matisse uses flat, intense colors—blue, green, red—to create a powerful emotional impact.
• Historical impact: Both are considered turning points in modern art, but in different ways. Picasso pushes toward Cubism, questioning how we see form and space. Matisse pushes toward Fauvism and expressive color.

A strong thesis might state: While both Picasso and Matisse break away from traditional realism, Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon uses fragmentation and tension to challenge the viewer, whereas Matisse’s The Dance uses simplified forms and bold color to celebrate movement and joy.

This pairing is a great example of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays for students studying the beginnings of modernism.

5. Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas vs. Self-Portraits by Rembrandt

Self-portraits are a goldmine for compare and contrast essays about identity, psychology, and style.

How to frame this comparison:

• Self-presentation: Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas shows two versions of herself sitting side by side, hearts exposed and connected by a vein. Rembrandt often paints a single self-portrait, focusing on his aging face, expression, and clothing.
• Symbolism: Kahlo uses direct symbolic imagery—hearts, blood, clothing styles—to express personal and cultural conflict. Rembrandt uses subtler symbolism through light, shadow, and costume.
• Emotional tone: Kahlo’s work feels raw, explicit, and almost surreal. Rembrandt’s feels introspective and quiet, often full of weariness and dignity.
• Cultural context: Kahlo’s work reflects 20th-century Mexico, questions of gender, and postcolonial identity. Rembrandt’s work reflects 17th-century Dutch society and the rise of the individual.

This is a more advanced example of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays that lets you discuss identity, culture, and symbolism.

6. Banksy’s Street Art vs. Shepard Fairey’s Hope Poster (Obama)

To bring your essay into the 21st century, you can compare two contemporary or recent works. Teachers increasingly welcome examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays that include street art and political imagery.

Directions you can take:

• Medium and setting: Banksy’s works are often spray-painted directly on public walls, sometimes illegally. Fairey’s Hope poster was designed for mass reproduction and political campaigning.
• Tone: Banksy tends to be ironic, satirical, and critical of authority. Fairey’s Hope image is idealistic and promotional.
• Audience: Both target the public, not just museum visitors, but in different ways—Banksy uses surprise and location; Fairey uses repetition and branding.
• Message: You can compare how each artist uses simplified imagery and bold contrast to communicate a political or social message quickly.

This pairing works well if your teacher encourages modern or political topics, and it shows that you can apply the same compare-and-contrast skills beyond traditional painting and sculpture.

How to structure your own examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays

Once you’ve chosen your pair, the next challenge is organizing your thoughts so your essay doesn’t turn into a random list of observations. Here’s a simple, reliable structure that works for almost any pair of artworks:

1. Introduction with a clear thesis
Briefly introduce both artworks (artist, title, date, medium) and end with a thesis that makes a claim about what your comparison will show. Instead of just saying “they are similar and different,” say how and why that matters.

For example:

Although both Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Monet’s Water Lilies focus on nature, Van Gogh uses intense color and swirling brushwork to express inner emotion, while Monet uses softer, layered strokes to explore changing light and perception.

2. Choose your method: block or point-by-point
Most examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays use one of two methods:

• Block method: Write about Artwork A in one section (subject, style, color, mood), then Artwork B in the next section, and end with a direct comparison.
• Point-by-point method: Organize your body paragraphs around specific points (subject, composition, color, context) and discuss both artworks in each paragraph.

For shorter essays, point-by-point usually feels clearer and more balanced.

3. Use specific visual evidence
Avoid vague statements like “it’s beautiful” or “it feels sad.” Instead, point to specific features:

• Color choices
• Brushstrokes or carving style
• Composition (where things are placed)
• Light and shadow
• Facial expressions and body language

For instance, instead of “Bernini’s David is dramatic,” you could write: Bernini’s David twists his torso and bites his lip, muscles straining as he prepares to release the stone, creating a sense of intense physical effort and motion.

4. Connect to context and meaning
The strongest essays don’t stop at describing; they explain what those similarities and differences reveal. You might connect your observations to:

• The historical period or movement (Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionism, etc.)
• The artist’s life and beliefs
• Social, political, or cultural issues of the time

For reliable background, you can consult museum and university resources, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History or open courses from institutions like MIT OpenCourseWare, which sometimes include art history materials.

Common pitfalls to avoid in compare and contrast art essays

When you study examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays, you’ll notice that the weaker ones all make similar mistakes. Here’s what to watch out for:

Surface-level comparison only
Listing similarities and differences without explaining why they matter leads to a flat essay. Always connect back to your thesis: what does this similarity or difference reveal about the artists’ goals, the time period, or the meaning of the work?

Describing only one artwork in detail
It’s easy to get carried away with your favorite piece and barely mention the other. Make sure both artworks receive balanced attention.

Forgetting the thesis halfway through
Every few paragraphs, ask yourself: “Am I still supporting my main claim?” If not, adjust your topic sentences so they clearly connect to your thesis.

Relying on random websites
When you’re researching famous artworks, prioritize museums, universities, and recognized organizations. For example, the National Gallery of Art offers detailed entries on many masterpieces, and universities like Harvard host searchable art collections and essays. These sources are safer and more accurate than anonymous blogs.

Trends in art compare and contrast essays in 2024–2025

Teachers and professors are increasingly encouraging:

• Global perspectives: Pairing Western artworks with non-Western examples. For instance, comparing European religious paintings with Buddhist or Hindu temple art.
• Diverse artists: Including women artists and artists of color—Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley—as part of your examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays.
• Contemporary issues: Connecting older works to modern topics like climate change, gender identity, social justice, or technology.

If you want your essay to feel current, consider pairing a traditional masterpiece with a more recent work that speaks to similar themes. For example, comparing classical portraits with Kehinde Wiley’s contemporary portraits of Black subjects can spark a rich discussion about power, representation, and art history.

FAQ: examples of famous artworks and compare and contrast essays

Q: What are some easy examples of famous artworks I can compare for a high school essay?
Good beginner pairs include Mona Lisa vs. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Michelangelo’s David vs. Bernini’s David, and Van Gogh’s Starry Night vs. Monet’s Water Lilies. Each pair shares clear similarities but also obvious differences in style, mood, and historical period.

Q: How long should an example of a compare and contrast essay on famous artworks be?
For most high school assignments, teachers expect around 750–1,200 words. College essays may run longer. The important thing is that you clearly introduce both artworks, present a focused thesis, support it with specific visual evidence, and end with a thoughtful conclusion.

Q: Where can I find reliable information and examples of art analysis?
Look for museum and university sites. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art offer essays and object descriptions written by experts. Many colleges, such as Harvard University, also publish guides on writing about art, including sample comparisons.

Q: Do I have to choose two artworks from the same time period?
Not necessarily. Many of the best examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays intentionally cross time periods—such as comparing a Renaissance painting with a contemporary reinterpretation of the same theme. Just make sure your thesis explains why you’re pairing those specific works.

Q: Can I include modern digital art or photography in my compare and contrast essay?
Yes, if your instructor allows it. Comparing a classic oil painting with a modern photograph, digital artwork, or street mural can lead to a strong essay, especially if they share a theme—like war, identity, or nature. The same basic structure and strategies still apply.

If you keep returning to real, specific details—color, composition, expression, context—you’ll find that writing about art becomes much less intimidating. And as you study more examples of famous artworks: compare and contrast essays, you’ll get faster at spotting patterns and turning your observations into clear, confident claims.