edexcel art a level essay

Art-based Artefact FULL Essay & Sketchbook Example

Jennifer Leigh | 28th September 2019

Many students are warned before taking on an EPQ, that artefact projects are substantially harder and score substantially lower than full essay projects. The key difficulty with artefact EPQs is making them research-based and the biggest task I had to overcome was insuring my artefact complimented my research, rather than the other way around. I was the only student in my year group to attempt an artefact EPQ and there was very little help as to the structure my EPQ should take.

During Sixth Form, I completed an art-based artefact EPQ on the significance of light and colour in Impressionist art. This EPQ followed obtaining full marks in my Art GCSE, so I chose to take a very similar process in creating my EPQ project and sketchbook.

In the end, I obtained 48/50 in my EPQ in June 2019 (AQA EPQ A* boundary = 45/50).

Looking for top EPQ tips? Check out my EPQ advice article here! This article features my EPQ essay and sketchbook in full that helped me achieve my A*. All the art below was submitted collectively as my artefact, with mini essays, artist studies and my final pieces being documented in an A3 sketchbook.

My EPQ essay (ft. photos of artefact)

Is use of light and colour the sole feature that defines the impressionist art era, or are there more significant motives behind the movement.

Impressionism can be described as “a style or movement in painting originating in France in the 1860s, characterised by a concern with depicting the visual impression of the movement, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and colour”. Today, the Impressionists are some of the most popular artists whose artworks are readily seen by the public, namely due to the expressive use of colour and unique depictions of interesting compositions of light. However, this project aims to explore whether use of light and colour really is the defining feature of Impressionist art, or whether there are other reasons why this movement of art is so unique from other movements. Furthermore, I also explored whether some of the most famous “Impressionist” artists today can be defined as “true Impressionists”, based on their techniques and motives.

Initially, I researched Claude Monet, as he is frequented described by art historians as “epitomis[ing] most closely the values of Impressionism”1. Monet frequently used varied colour palettes in his paintings, such as in “The Cliff Walk at Pourville” (1882) and “Red Boats, Argenteuil” (1875), which helped create a powerful mood and atmosphere for the viewer. For example, in “Le Grand Canal” (1908), he primarily used more muted, cool colours to emphasise the bright morning, which focuses the viewer on the reflections and varied hues of the water. Studying the painting up close, one can see how the hints of pinks and yellows contrasts with the muted colours, creating a sense of calmness and tranquility. In series works such as his Haystacks, Monet painted many similar, simplistic scenes so that “nothing distracts the attention from his harmonies of colour and atmosphere”2. Taking a random selection of paintings from this collection, such as “Haystacks, Hazy Sunshine” (1891) and “Haystacks at the End of Summer, Morning” (1891), it is clear to the viewer that the real interest is in Monet’s manipulations of light through the medium of colour.

However, use of light and colour is not the only technique that Monet demonstrated that is considered typically Impressionist: Monet also frequently varied his style of brushstrokes, working very loosely and liberally in paintings such as in his Waterlilies series. This technique, combined with frequently working in plein air, led to many of Monet’s paintings creating a feel of a “moment in time” for the viewer. Indeed, many of the revolutionary techniques Monet demonstrated had the same key purpose: to create a sense of a moment or impression of a scene for the viewer, rather than a full, still representation of a period of time.

Considering Monet as a “true Impressionist”, I then began to compare his techniques and works to those of other artists during a similar period of art history. I initially researched Edgar Degas, who separated himself from most Impressionists by outwardly describing himself as a Realist, rather than an Impressionist, with a “lack of interest in plein-air painting, his abiding passion for the art of the great masters, and his experimentation in different media, including photography” 3 . However, it is clear by studying his works that Degas aimed to create an impression of a person’s life rather than Monet, who aimed to create an impression of a scene. One way that he demonstrated this was how Degas “began experimenting with off-centre compositions, and figures cut in half by the picture frame” 1 , which can be considered a way that Degas allowed the viewer to glimpse “an unexpected slice of Parisian life”. This is comparable to how Monet used sketchy strokes and varied colours in his paintings; both artists used these contrasting techniques to give the viewer an impression of the scene in front of them, whether it was a landscape or a group of people.

Some critics have argued that “Degas never allowed himself to be called an Impressionist, and, affirming the supremacy of drawing over colour, was often highly critical of his colleagues [the Impressionist artists he frequently exhibited with at the Salon des Refusés]” 4 yet, despite this, he did show very similar motifs to other Impressionists like Monet. Indeed, a majority of written sources on Degas were in books containing a wide range of other Impressionist artists, implying that many art historians do draw great similarities between Degas’ and other Impressionists’ work. Studying Degas’ sketches and paintings as a modern viewer, it is clear that the theme of capturing a moment for the viewer was a theme of Impressionism that Degas consistently demonstrated, along with other Impressionists.

Another artist prominent at the time of the Impressionists was Paul Cézanne, whom I also researched as part of my project. Like other Impressionists, Cézanne presented his work at the 1870 Salon de Réfuses, however he drifted away from the Impressionist movement and focused on creating more carefully structured compositions, with a unique crystal-life appearance. In paintings such as Tall Trees at the Jas de Bouffan (1883), Cézanne used “constructive” strokes, consisting of flat strokes of a consistent scale, shape and direction, “giving the picture an overall coherence … through slow methodical brushwork” 5 . Art historians can infer that rather than attempting to create atmospheric conditions, he sought to create spectrums of colour that more realistically replicated the conditions of the day.

Some critics argue that Cézanne was key to the Impressionist movement, while others, such as Hajo Düchting, claim “once the heyday of Impressionism dawned, Cézanne had already put both Paris and Impressionism far behind him” 6 . In this case, it is important to note that Düchting is writing with the purpose to persuade the reader that Cézanne was a truly unique and revolutionary artist of his time, so the author avoids crediting the origins of Cézanne’s style to any artist or movement, such as the Impressionists, throughout the book. Despite potential bias in his work, it is difficult to ignore Düchting’s argument that Cézanne was unlike the Impressionists; indeed, even sources specifically covering Impressionist artists describe Cézanne as relinquishing Impressionism, “insufficient for [his] purpose and inadequate to [his] aims” 4 .

Many of the sources I did study as part of my research gave a general overview of Impressionism, such as “Great Artists of the Western World: Impressionism”, considering how many artists of the same period of history used Impressionist techniques; this suggests that the authors may be biased in looking at Cézanne and Degas from a purely Impressionist viewpoint, rather than considering techniques which made both artists stand out from classic Impressionists like Monet. Despite this, visiting galleries and exhibitions such as “Drawn in Colour: Degas from the Burrell” (National Art Gallery) and “Corteau Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne” (National Art Gallery) offered the opportunity for first hand research in seeing these artists’ work up close, supporting evidence from these texts regarding to what extent Degas and Cézanne really were “Impressionists”. The Corteau Impressionists exhibition at the National Art Gallery 5 featured a range of artists from a similar period of art history, such as Manet, Renoir and Seurat. However, the paintings themselves and their descriptions were clear evidence of how differently these artists worked; for example, Seurat was described as being “dissatisfied with Impressionists’ intuitive responses to light and colour” and thoroughly discarded their style of thinking, despite being exhibited as one of them in this exhibition, suggesting that not all those artists considered “Impressionists” by the public can truly be considered one by art historians. Generally, the Impressionist exhibitions proved more useful sources than the texts, which were prone to producing bias to make the artist seem more original in their techniques (and therefore less “typically Impressionist”), while seeing the paintings and annotations up close allowed for a more critical judgement of the methods used.

Using the research I had gathered from these three key artists, I began to develop an idea for a final piece which incorporated what I felt were the key features of Impressionism. I focused on a series of works, taking inspiration from how both Monet and Degas created multiple, similar paintings which showed subtle changes in composition and/or atmosphere. I chose to focus on landscapes, picking compositions from my garden in order to give me the change to work en plein air, trying to pick images which worked together in a series, yet also showed some compositional interest, taking inspiration from Degas. Eventually I chose a set of two compositions that complemented each other with similar viewpoints. Throughout the painting process, I focused on capturing all the colours reflected in the light of the scenes, while preserving the spontaneous, loose feel of the Impressionist artists, taking note of what I’d learnt in my research. This can particularly be reflected in the portrayal of the trees, where I used broad brushstrokes to capture the constant movement of the leaves. I also used subtle variations of colour to reflect the slight changes in light and impression for the viewer: while the first painting has a strong, warm tint to reflect the calm twilight, the second painting consists of slightly cooler tones to suggest the vibrant daytime. This was an ode to Monet’s many series works, containing multiple similar scenes with strong variations in light and atmosphere. Overall, these paintings reflected and supported what I’d learnt during my research regarding the techniques and aims of Monet and Degas.

In conclusion, there is clear evidence for colour being a key feature in Impressionist art, yet this cannot be prioritised over the real motive behind the artist’s work: the reason for “Impressionist” art being given its name is due to whether or not the aim of the piece is to suggest a moment in time, inflicting some sort of emotion or atmosphere for the viewer. Despite this, it is accurate to suggest that “the Impressionist group in France falls into several sections” 4 . Monet and Degas both shared the same intention to capture an impression of a scene, despite doing this through different techniques; in comparison, Cézanne shared similar technical qualities in his painting style to Monet, yet his overall aim leant towards capturing a representation of a longer period of time. In this way, it is clear Monet and Degas demonstrate their Impressionist qualities to a much greater extent than Cézanne, which can be noted in viewing their work. In this way, the significance of colour in Impressionism is limited to simply being a means through which artists, such as Monet, can create these atmospheric effects and feelings for the viewer.

• Anon. (1987). Great Artists of the Western World. London: Marshall Cavendish.
• Mannering. (1998). The Masterworks of Monet. Bristol: Parragon.
• Drawn in Colour: Degas from the Burrell. The National Gallery, London. (Exhibition February 2018)
• Francia, d. (1961). Movements in Modern Art: Impressionism. Vienna: Brüder Rosenbaum.
• Courtauld Impressionists: From Manet to Cézanne. The National Gallery, London. (Exhibition November 2018)
• Duchting. (1996). Cézanne. Taschen America Llc.
• Sagner-Duchting. (1992). Claude Monet. Taschen America Llc.
• Reyburn. (1997). The Art of the Impressionists. Grange Books Ltd.
• Gariff. (2008). World’s Most Influential Painters and the Artists They Inspired: Stories and Hidden Connections Between Great Works of Western Art.

© 2020 Jennifer Leigh. Based on website design GreatSEO .

Art and Design A-Level Past Papers

This section includes recent A-Level Art and Design past papers (AS and A2) from AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. If you are not sure which exam board you are studying check with your teacher. Past papers are a useful and productive way to prepare for your exams. You can download each of the exam board's papers by clicking the links below.

• AQA A-Level Art and Design Past Papers
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• WJEC A-Level Art and Design Past Papers

A-Level Past Papers

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Personal study for art

My chosen artist and why

The artist that I have chosen to look at is Barbara Kruger. I have chose to look at her work because I found her work very appealing and it inspired me more then any other artist that I have researched. The reason I think her work inspired is because most of her work consists of violence against women and I am very against this matter. Kruger expresses her views on this matter through text and photography in her art work. It’s like her aim is to show people how women are treated in this world. As I am a female myself I was attracted by her work and it made me want to research more in depth and create work in her style. She layers found photographs from existing sources with pithy and aggressive text that involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her captions speak to.

Most of her work includes text in black or white letters against a slash of red background, some of her instantly recognizable slogans read “I shop therefore I am,” and “Your body is a battleground." I think much of her text questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although her black-and-white images are culled from the mainstream magazines that sell the very ideas she is disputing.

Here is a few of Kruger’s works attached together. It shows a view of what her work is about. She uses words such as “hate”, “body” “battleground”, and “world”. These are big words, and have strong meanings. This shows that the message she is trying to get out to people is also big, strong and has a lot of meaning.

Her works are direct and evoke an immediate response. Usually her style involves the cropping of a magazine or newspaper image enlarged in black and white. The enlargement of the image is done as crudely as possible to monumental proportions. A message is stenciled on the image, usually in white letters against a background of red. The text and image are unrelated in an effort to create anxiety by the audience that plays on the fears of society.

Barbara Kruger’s works has appeared in museums and galleries worldwide, her work has appeared on billboards, buscards, posters, a public park, a train station platform in Strasbourg, France, and in other public commissions.

About the Artist  

Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1945, Barbara Kruger grew up in a working-class family. After graduating from high school, she spent a year at Syracuse University. The death of her father brought her to New York City, where she studied photography and graphic design at the Parsons School of Design. Kruger accepted a position at Condé Nast Publications designing ads for Mademoiselle magazine, where she was eventually promoted to chief designer. In the 1970s, Kruger decided to resume making art. Drawn to the work of Magdalena Abakanowicz, she produced fabric wall hangings. After experimenting with painting for a time, she began juxtaposing photographs with text, a method that allowed her to apply her knowledge of graphic design. Kruger’s text-and-image works have appeared in various forms, such as billboards, posters, and even matchbooks and tote bags.

Kruger makes her works from images she finds in the popular media, not unlike how other artists use found objects, notably Tony Cragg, and Jeff Koons. She notes that her work as a graphic designer for a magazine influenced her choice of images: “If you didn’t make people look at that page you were fired.” Once she selects the pictures she attempts to match them with phrases, drawing inspiration from lists of phrases she compiles, favorite books, and the thesaurus.

After choosing a phrase to use with the image, Kruger makes Photostats of the pictures, manipulating the size, framing, and contrast so that the images can be re photographed. During the layout process, she arranges the type faced words with the images. Next she sends them to a photographic studio, which enlarges the designs to the size she specifies and prints the photographs in either black and white or color. Finally, the works are fitted into red enamel frames.

Kruger adopted a format that is deceptively simple (photograph, text, and frame) to convey a powerful message about relationships in society. The artist has said about her work: “Basically I want to be effective in making changes in power relations, in social relations. . . The spectators who view my work don’t have to understand [art history]. They just have to consider the pictures that bombard their lives and tell them who they are to some extent. That’s all they have to understand.”

Append ix    

This is a preview of the whole essay

Barbara kruger’s work sends out the message on violence against women. Although her work sends out the message on violence against women,as a female looking at her work I still feel strong. I think this is because I feel like I have come this far in life without experiencing any of these problems such as violence against women, looking at her work makes me feel confident that I can manage ahead in life without experincing these problems. It makes me feel confident and to me confindence is the key to prevent violence against women because looking at krugers work, I found out that most of her images on women show that they are under the contol of men and they look as though they are being under pressured. For example looking at the image below shows a women looking downwards and the text in the middle of the picture reads, “we have recieved orders not to move”.This shows that the women is being treated as a slave. She does not have the free will to do what she wants, she is under someone else’s control. This image shows that there are women out there who may be in the same situation, who may not be allowed to do as they want, and are under someone else’s control. The colour Kruger has used for the bottom text, where it reads “not to move”  is in bigger and bolder writing than the text above. She has also changed the colour of the background for the bottom text whereas the top one is white. With the writing bigger, bolder and the background red shows threats and danger. The image tries and sends out the message that if she does not follow the rules as she is supposed to her life maybe at risk. The way she is sat down with her head facing downwards shows that she is afraid and fragile. The position she is sat in makes the viewer think she is scared and weak and if she moves she will be punished.

Looking at this image you can see a mother pointing at her daughters muscle and saying to her, “we don’t need another hero”. This shows that Barbara Kruger is also trying to send out the messages to women and girls that they don’t need anyone else to protect them. They can be strong too although they are females. They don’t have to have men as their heroes, females can be heroes too. She is trying to show that you don’t just need a man in your life to feel safe and secure. You alone have the power to keep yourself safe and secure. Looking at girls face you can see the power and strength in her. Barbara Kruger may also be sending out the message to females to keep a strong face and don’t let anyone see your weakness show no fear in order for you to live a stronger life.

Comparing Artists  

When doing my artist research, I also came across Jenny Holzer her work is similar to Barber Kruger’s work because she also uses texts and photography in her work. Some of jenny Holzer’s work is also based on violence against women. But as Kruger uses small text and words in most of her work, Holzer uses long sentences and paragraphs in most of her images. Barber Kruger’s use of text seems to match the image she had linked it to whereas most of Holzer’s work is on images on big buildings with long texts.  

                        Jenny Holzer                                                  Barbara Kruger

Above you can see the difference between Holzer’s ( left ) and Kruger’s ( right ) work. Jenny Holzer’s work looks as though she has used an over head projector to get the text on the building whereas Kruger’s work looks as though she has edited the picture in order to place the text on the image.

This image on the left is also some work created by Jenny Holzer again you can see the difference between her and Kruger’s work when expressing their views on violence against women through art. In this image Jenny Holzer has an image of a women running with a t- shirt on that reads “Abuse of power comes as no surprise” the text makes abuse against women sound normal like it’s not a shock and that it’s a normal everyday thing. Also when looking at her work it doesn’t seem as powerful as Kruger’s work, I think this maybe because Kruger’s work doesn’t show much expression or live as Kruger’s work like when looking at Holzer’s work everything looks still everything looks at rest. For example looking at this image all you see is a women who seems to be running with a straight face on, it doesn’t look real she look as if she’s a zombie who doesn’t seem to care about what is happening around her. You then notice the text on her t- shirt which says “Abuse as power comes as no surprise!” and it sort of confuses you a little because when you look at them women’s face she doesn’t even seem to be bothered whatsoever. But maybe that is perhaps the message that Holzer is trying to get through to other people that abuse comes as no surprise that’s why the women probably has a straight face on because she may find abuse regular. That’s why she’s not surprised because she thinks of abuse as a normal everyday thing.

Most of Holzer’s work appears to be still, for example looking at the images above created by Holzer you can see that they are just photographs taken with the text already on. By this I mean she hasn’t edited the pictures or done anything with them, all she has done is set everything up and take a picture and that’s it her work is done. Whereas Kruger edits her picture, she uses different affects on the images so they look more attractive and adds short words or short sentences on the image so it’s easier to read and so the public finds it interesting to read whereas if it was too long the public won’t be bothered reading in other words may be bored doesn’t get bored by reading it.

By saying most of Holzer’s work appears still, by this I also mean that most of her work is on real pictures such as pictures on buildings, places, people and so on, she doesn’t edit them or change them in anyway whereas barber Kruger, changes the colour, the effect and makes the image look more attractive and different than normal everyday images, so they look as though she has created them herself.  Although they may have some differences they also have one or two things in common. This is that they both use text in their work. Albeit not all of Holzer’s work appears to be about violence against women, however some of her work does consist on this issue.

I think both Kruger’s and Holzer’s work try and to make us think about social and political questions, about the stereotypes and clichés created by our society. Consumerism ( I shop therefore I am ), conformity ( Think like us , Look like us ), politics ( Hate like us ), love ( Thinking of you ), and again Your body is a battleground , Love for sale , etc.: these are just a few of the slogans and themes on which the American artist has focused.

As barber Kruger’s work sticks with one issue violence against women, Holzer’s work is on a number of different issues. This is a quote from jenny Holzer stating what different issues her work is on.

“At the beginning of my work I wanted to figure out how to put war, peace, sex, death and various other subjects in front of as many people as possible. So I first worked with street posters and then moved on to plaques that went on the sides of the buildings, then to electronic signs and on to a number of other media. I put things where there is a fighting chance that people will take notice of them.”

Quotes from Barbara Kruger and analysis  

“I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren’t"

This quote from Barbara Kruger suggests that the reason she works with words and pictures is to decide who women are and who they are not. This shows that she expresses the way she feels through text and pictures. There must be a reason why she picked the issue on violence against women to work on.  Perhaps she may have experienced this issue in life or she may have been a victim of this issue in the past so as a result she maybe expressing her views on how she thinks some women maybe living their lives in today’s society.

“The brevity of the text is about cutting through the grease. I just want to address people in a very forthright manner. It is why I always use pronouns, because they cut through in the same way. Direct address has been a consistent tactic in my work, regardless of the medium that I'm working in. I try to deal with the complexities of power and social life, but as far as the visual presentation goes I purposely avoid a high degree of difficulty. I want people to be drawn into the space of the work. And a lot of people are like me in that they have relatively short attention spans. So I shoot for the window of opportunity.”

Another quote from Barbara Kruger suggests that her language emphasizes communication and contact, for example, she’s not just saying, "Look here, I'm going to give you an idea." As she has said direct address has always been an important feature of her work. She wants people to get the message straight forward rather than using big words and explaining.

Look, we're all saddled with things that make us better or worse. This world is a crazy place, and I've chosen to make my work about that insanity.

This quote from Barbara Kruger suggests that looking at the world all people seem to care and think about is them selves. So after looking at the world she describes it as crazy and decided to base her work on this madness.

Our culture is saturated with irony whether we know it or not.

This quote from Barbara suggests that she thinks that the culture we live in is selfish and sarcastic. She also then says although we may not think this or know this, however this statement is still true. This shows that this statement may be one of the reasons why her work is based on violence against women. This may be one of the reasons why she creates images of women being disrespected by men. It shows that people don’t care about anything nowadays, their religion, their belief or other all they seem to care about is themselves.

More quotes from Kruger

All the gossip and craziness becomes a kind of sustained narrative which, in turn, can become history.

Although my art work was heavily informed by my design work on a formal and visual level, as regards meaning and content the two practices parted ways.     Direct address has been a consistent tactic in my work, regardless of the medium that I'm working in.     Do you know why language manifests itself the way it does in my work? It's because I understand short attention spans.   I mean, making art is about objectifying your experience of the world, transforming the flow of moments into something visual, or textual, or musical. Art creates a kind of commentary.  

I think what I'm trying to do is create moments of recognition. To try to detonate some kind of feeling or understanding of lived experience.   I try to deal with the complexities of power and social life, but as far as the visual presentation goes I purposely avoid a high degree of difficulty.  

I'd always been a news junkie, always read lots of newspapers and watched the Sunday morning news shows on TV and felt strongly about issues of power, control, sexuality and race.   I'm an artist who works with pictures and words. Sometimes that stuff ends up in different kinds of sites and contexts which determine what it means and looks like.   I've always thought that it's good to watch the news to find out what everybody else is looking at and believing, if only because that's how consensus is constructed.   If most American cities are about the consumption of culture, Los Angeles and New York are about the production of culture - not only national culture but global culture.   It's good to keep in mind that prominence is always a mix of hard work, eloquence in your practice, good timing and fortuitous social relations. Everything can't be personalized.  

How Barbara Kruger’s work influences my work  

As Barbara Kruger’s work is based on violence against women and the use of text and images in her work, has influenced my work by giving me an idea on what to base my theme and work on.

I want to base my work on the same issue as Kruger violence against women. I will also use the idea of using words and images in my work but not in the exact style of Kruger so it doesn’t seem as though I have copied her work exactly.

The reason I want to base my work on Kruger’s is because looking at her work makes me think about the world about what is going on around me. One of the reasons why I like Kruger’s work is because it brings up a number of questions in my mind such as, how our culture has changed from the past years. How people treat one another? How men take advantage women, and how the world has become so selfish.

I think by basing my work in the style of Kruger’s work will give me a deeper understanding of her work. It will help me to understand her work intensely and will give me more knowledge on the artist than I already have.

The use of text in her work gives me an idea on how to use words in my work, on how to make my work look more attractive just like hers by using short direct phrases and words. I want my work to send out strong messages just like hers to make the viewer believe in me.

In my work I will try and change the effects and the colour of the images the way she changes hers, and the way she makes the image look as though she made it rather than an existing picture.

Also the expressions of the people in her image make the image look more real and attractive, it makes you feel like its true whatever she is trying to tell viewer. She makes the viewer believe in her work, that what she saying is true. This also influences my work to take more effective pictures with the correct expressions and text that go together and make the image look real and attractive that would make the viewer believe in you and your work.

Document Details

• Word Count 3401
• Page Count 9
• Level AS and A Level
• Subject Art & Design

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How to Select a Great A2 Art Personal Study Topic

Last Updated on April 2, 2023

This is the first in a series of articles aimed at helping A Level Art students with their Personal Study (a project which is required as part of CIE A2 Art & Design). This article outlines twelve guidelines for selecting a good topic. The recommendations are based on my own experience with the teaching of this component, discussions with examiners during CIE training days and the feedback given within Examiner Reports.

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1.  The topic must relate to Art or Design

This sounds obvious and something that should not need saying, but, absurdly, it does. For some, inexplicable reason, students continue to submit projects that are completely unrelated to Art or Design. This is a quote from a recent CIE Examiner Report:

There were numerous inappropriate submissions which were not concerned with any aspect of Art and Design. These included such topics as ‘Giving up smoking’, ‘The biology of the senses’, ‘Growing tea on a plantation’, as well as aspects of tourism, green issues and political themes. 

2. The topic should be something that you are genuinely interested in

The ultimate purpose of your Personal Study is to teach you something: to help you develop as an artist and to strengthen your understanding of art-related issues. The most successful Personal Studies communicate ‘ a strong sense of involvement through personal enthusiasm and a commitment to sustain the investigation ’.

Simply speaking, when you are passionate about a topic, you are more likely to do well.

3. The focus of your Personal Study should be process and materials (the way an artist or group of artists use/s media) or subject or theme (the way an artist approaches a topic, usually with reference to composition and technique)

In other words, your Personal Study should involve the analysis of specific pieces of art; it should NOT be the life story of an artist or the documentation of a broad period of Art history (unless this somehow includes sufficient focus upon specific artworks).

4. A topic should provide you sufficient material to write about, while not being so vast that your project becomes all-encompassing, disjointed or surface-deep

In order to produce a high quality Personal Study, you need to have a clear, well-articulated focus. This gives you something to organise your project around and encourages you to write with coherence and structure (a lack direction is a common weakness in low achieving Personal Studies). Completing an entire project around the analysis of one or two artwork, for example, is limiting, while attempting to analyse Abstract Art in all of its entirety (without any connection to a specific artist) sets up an enormous, daunting task which cannot be given justice in the time given.

5. The study should be about someone else’s art (not your own)

This is an area where CIE Art & Design students are often confused. There is an incorrect belief that students are expected to submit a body of original creative work as part of the Personal Study, similar to that produced for the Coursework project (some students even go so far as submitting only original practical work or additional Coursework pieces for this component – often with no annotation or explanation – which does not satisfy the requirements of the Personal Study at all). While the Personal Study certainly can – and in the majority of cases should – include beautiful practical work completed by the student, the Personal Study is about analysing, studying and learning from other artists : it is NOT about producing original artwork on your own topic (more information about the images used in a Personal Study will be given in a subsequent article). This quote from CIE helps to clarify this:

The main aim of the Personal Study is to encourage candidates to focus on selected examples of existing works of art or design from established contemporary or historical practitioners, seen at first hand, by making critical judgements and personal evaluations.

Note that this article has been written for CIE A2 Art Personal Studies: Personal Studies required for other examination boards differ in some respects.

6. A link to your Coursework can be advantageous

Although it is not necessary for CIE Art & Design students to select a Personal Study topic which relates to their A2 Coursework project , the examiners comment that ‘ good practice might suggest that a link between the two is advisable ’. This is because a selecting a related topic allows you to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding that may help you to complete your Coursework to a higher standard. (Remember that if you refer to your Coursework project within your Personal Study you should include photos to help explain what you are saying. Each component is assessed individually and examiners do not have access to your Coursework project while they are assessing your Personal Study).

7. Choose a topic that allows you to view artwork first-hand

This is not a guideline: it is imperative. In my experience, the best CIE A2 Art Personal Studies are produced when students not only view artwork in the flesh (in a gallery or museum exhibition, for example), but are able to meet and interview the artist or designer and see their methods of working. This gives opportunity for the work to be understood in great detail (seeing true colours, textural surface qualities and the real scale of the piece) and encourages truly personal responses. It also means that students can take beautiful photographs of the artist or designer working in their studio and see all of the processes and various stages of completion. Examiners frequently report that lower grade Personal Studies ignore this requirement and depend more heavily on secondary sources: lifeless reproductions from books and the internet.

8. Contrasting and comparing the work of artists can be helpful

Studying the work of a mainstream or critically acclaimed artist alongside a local artist can be beneficial, especially if the local artist is less established. This gives you the best of both worlds (the enthusiasm and first-hand contact from a local artist, plus the insight that comes from studying historical, contemporary and/or international artists who work in another cultural context). You may, for example, choose to focus upon two artists who paint the same subject in a different way, or to discuss the influence of a famous artist upon a local painter. It should be noted that the examiners understand that many students will not be able to see all of the artworks they study in the flesh, so supporting first-hand study with those viewed in reproduction is absolutely acceptable.

9. Select a topic that is supported by quality reference material

While the Personal Study is centred around your own personal responses, drawing on the opinions of educated critics can provide insight and a depth of understanding: grounding, validating and/or challenging your own views. Before finalising upon a Personal Study topic for A2 Art, check to see if there are existing articles, books or online reviews about the artists in question. This also helps to verify that the artist you have selected has some standing in the art community and is thus likely to be an appropriate and valuable person to study. It should be noted, of course, that in many cases, the more well-known an artist is, the less time they have to accommodate visits from eager high school students; sometimes relatively unknown artists can be very skilled and have much to teach a high school Art student.

10. Word your title so that it captures the essence of your Personal Study and indicates a well-chosen focus

For example: ‘ The Portraiture of [artist name]: An Appreciation of Light and Colour ’ is more appropriate than ‘ Portraiture in Art ’. ‘ The use of Symbolism in Traditional and Contemporary Weaving ’ (an example given in the CIE 9704 Art & Design syllabus ) is more appropriate than ‘ The Art of Weaving ’. ‘ Landscapes of the Idurah Valley ’ (another example given in the syllabus) is more appropriate than ‘ Landscape Paintings ’. ‘ An Investigation into Gender Roles in Contemporary Art ’ is better than ‘ Contemporary Art ’. In the former examples, the title helps to clarify the focus of the study; the latter suggest an enormously broad study that would be difficult to complete well. Similarly, it is also beneficial to avoid overly simplistic titles that convey little information, such as ‘ [artist name] Personal Study ’ or ‘ Fish ’. Ideally, the examiner a clear idea about what your study is about (and be impressed) from the first moment they encounter your project.

11. Select your Personal Study topic near the start of the A2 Art Course

The Personal Study is a large and comprehensive project. It is impossible to complete in its entirety (and achieve a good grade) at the last minute. It can be good practise to start thinking about your topic selection at the conclusion of the AS Course. High achieving students often use the winter or summer break, seeking out artists who are available for interview locally. This leaves them in a strong position to start the A2 year (it can be wise to touch base with teachers prior to making contact with an artist, however, to avoid wasting anyone’s time). Regardless of whether the vacation period is utilised, it is essential that the Personal Study receives regular attention (ideally within scheduled class time as well as in homework sessions) so that students can plan, research and complete the project in a systematic, organised way.

12. Submit an Outline Proposal Form to CIE before you begin

While this is not a requirement, all students should be encouraged to do this. Any concern about the suitability of a topic can be overcome by making use of the Outline Proposal Forms (OPF). This is a free way of gaining invaluable feedback from the official CIE Senior Moderator before you begin. Blank forms are available on the password protected Teachers’ Support Site and can be submitted electronically to CIE for approval. It is important to note that the brief feedback given should be read with great care and always adhered to. This form should then be retained and submitted along with the finished Personal Study.

An example of the CIE Examiner Reports quoted in this article can be found on the publicly accessible Art & Design section of the CIE website. Further reports are available from the password protected Teachers’ Support Site.

The next article in this series discusses how to write a Personal Study . A subsequent post will focus on the images. You may also be interested in reading our overview of the CIE A2 Art Personal Study .

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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A Level Art Essay Template

Subject: Art and design

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

14 December 2023

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A structured writing template (5 pages) to support A Level Art students with writing their Art essay, based on their personal project.

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