art history paper-- What two periods of time should i compare and contrast?

Answer 1

Rennaissance and Middle Ages will do rather nicely.

Also Enlightenment vs Romantic Period; in other words Scientific Revolution and Reasoning vs Romanticism

Good Luck

Answer 2

Well, it would probably be a good idea to compare and contrast two periods you are interested in, no?

I assume you are doing the usual first year survey of art history, covering everything from cave art to post-modernism. Surely, in all that, something from at least one of the periods must have caught your fancy? Take that as you starting point.