Defending Modern Art
Choose an unpopular or criticized art style, and write a defense essay for it. Explore its origins, major critiques, and why it deserves more appreciation or understanding from the mainstream art world.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Include a counterargument and answer it fairly.
- Cut every sentence that only repeats the one before it.
- Find one surprising fact and build around it.
Writing essays
A mind at work, one subject at a time.
An essay collection gathers short nonfiction pieces: personal, critical, funny or all three. What ties them together is the writer's voice and way of seeing.
What readers expect
- A distinctive voice
- Personal stakes
- Surprising connections
- Pieces that stand alone
A tip before you start
Follow a question, not a thesis. The pleasure of an essay is watching someone think.
More Art, Architecture and Photography prompts
- Blue Through the AgesWrite an essay detailing the influence of a single color on art throughout history. Choose a color like blue, and trace its significance and use from…
- The Art on My Daily WalkReflect on a piece of public art that you encounter regularly. Describe the artwork in detail, its history, and its significance to the community…
- The Artwork That Moved MeWrite a personal essay on the first piece of art or architecture that truly moved you. Describe the experience and analyze why it had such a profound…
- The Architect Who Shaped a CityWrite about the life and works of an underrated architect whose designs have significantly impacted a city or region, yet remains relatively unknown…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.