Does anyone have tips for writing an essay on art and culture?

Question:

Does anyone have tips for writing an essay on art and culture?

I've successfully written research papers in the past and I never really have trouble with the actual writing, (composition and grammar) but I have never formulated an essay (picked a topic, researched, defined and refined my subject, etc.) about art and culture before. For some reason, I'm struggling a bit, it just seems like such a huge, all-encompassing area.

Does anybody have tips for choosing a topic, or general essay writing suggestions?

ps. specific suggestions would be nice too. Here's my idea:

Something about Freud, his theory of dream analysis and the unconscious mind, the Surrealist movement, it's roots in Freud's theory and in Dadaism

I'd also like to incorporate the Surrealists' impact on society and culture, on art and philosophy, and potentially Heidegger and his theory of how "art lets truth originate" (it was all right around the same time...heidegger was a little later...)

Anyway, any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Your problem here is that you're trying to do too much. You have three or four ideas here, each of which would make a solid little essay--all together, however, they're too much. Over-fill the bottle and you'll pop its cork!

Freud and surrealism, if you're interested, has been done to death. It would therefore be easy to research :-)

Heidegger would be of most interest to this humanities prof, judging from face value.

All you need, IMO, is focus! Don't try to do too much. OK?