Visual Arts

1. What makes Visual Arts distinct?

A Visual Arts EE must:

• investigate art making, artistic intention, interpretation or visual communication

• focus on artworks, artists, movements or techniques

• analyse visual qualities such as composition, materiality, colour, form or process

• situate artworks within cultural, historical or personal contexts

• engage with art criticism, aesthetic theory or practitioner influences

• draw on visual and contextual evidence to support interpretation

• construct a reasoned, analytical argument grounded in visual arts concepts

Your essay should feel like art analysis, not general cultural commentary or pure biography.

2. What counts as a suitable Visual Arts topic?

A strong topic is:

• focused on specific artworks, artists, techniques or contexts

• analytical rather than descriptive

• supported by accessible artworks, catalogues, exhibitions or artist writings

• centred on visual inquiry rather than historical narrative

• narrow enough to explore artistic process or meaning in depth

Examples of suitable topic types

• analysis of material or technique choices in selected artworks

• comparative study of two artists within a movement or theme

• investigation into cultural influences on an artist’s visual language

• analysis of how space, light or composition affects meaning

• exploration of symbolism or abstraction in a set of artworks

Examples of unsuitable topics

• artist biographies without visual analysis

• general histories of art movements

• topics based only on online images with no reliable sources

• purely subjective responses with no research

• themes so broad that artworks cannot be analysed meaningfully

Visual Arts requires critical examination of artworks, not storytelling.

3. Using evidence in Visual Arts

Your essay should draw upon visual arts evidence, such as:

• artworks viewed in person or through reliable reproductions

• exhibition catalogues or gallery materials

• artist statements, interviews or journals

• critic reviews or scholarly art criticism

• photographs or sketches documenting artistic process

Avoid

• low quality or unverified online images

• generic websites without scholarly authority

• descriptions of artworks with no visual analysis

• evidence unrelated to the research question

Evidence must be interpreted through visual arts concepts and critical reasoning.

Students should ensure they include a sufficient number of clearly introduced images of the artworks they analyse. Strong essays typically include multiple artworks with clear visual references to support argument and interpretation. As a guideline for depth, many successful essays examine around five artworks on each side of a comparative argument, although this is not an official IB requirement.

4. Research methods appropriate for Visual Arts

Your methods may include:

• formal analysis of visual elements and design principles

• comparative study of works, styles or techniques

• contextual research into culture, society or artistic intention

• analysis of process, materiality or media

• research into practitioner influences and artistic development

• interpretation of artworks using art theory or criticism

Methods must be purposeful and consistently applied throughout.

5. What analysis looks like in Visual Arts

Visual Arts analysis should:

• interpret visual qualities such as composition, colour, texture or symbolism

• explain how artistic choices create meaning

• connect artworks to cultural or historical contexts

• use theory or criticism to support interpretation

• compare artworks or approaches where relevant

• analysing how viewers interpret visual elements

• stay focused on the research question instead of retelling background information

Analysis must show insight into how artworks communicate visually.

6. What evaluation looks like in Visual Arts

Evaluation may include:

• limitations of visual or contextual evidence

• consideration of multiple interpretations of artworks

• reflection on cultural or temporal distance

• assessment of artistic intention versus audience response

• critical engagement with differing critical or scholarly viewpoints

• reflection on gaps or ambiguities in the research

Evaluation should appear throughout, not only in the conclusion.

7. Common pitfalls in Visual Arts EEs

Avoid these issues, as they frequently lead to weak outcomes:

• topics too broad or too vague

• essays that rely on description instead of analysis

• biographical accounts of artists

• lack of direct engagement with artworks

• use of unreliable or low quality reproductions

• overly personal or impressionistic responses

• topics dependent on inaccessible exhibitions or works

8. Model research questions

Here are high quality examples of Visual Arts research questions:

1. How does Yayoi Kusama use repetition to construct psychological intensity in her Infinity Room installations?

2. To what extent does Anselm Kiefer’s material experimentation influence the meaning of his post war compositions?

3. How effectively does Bridget Riley use colour and line to manipulate optical perception in selected works from the 1960s?

4. To what extent does Frida Kahlo’s self portraiture communicate identity through symbolism and visual metaphor?

5. How far does Ai Weiwei’s use of traditional materials challenge cultural authority in his sculptural practice?

Each question is specific, interpretative and centred on visual analysis.