Research Guide to Art & Art History


| Reference Books | CONSULS Catalog | Databases & Indexes | Locating Periodicals | Interlibrary Loan | Questions? |


For tips on citation format, please see Diana Hacker's Humanities: Documenting Sources (bcs.bedfordstmartins.com) or the MLA Formatting and Style Guide courtesy of the OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab (owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01).


Reference Books for Background Information

Reference books are shelved by Library of Congress call number in the reference stacks on the first floor of the Ruth Haas Library. They may not be checked out, but photocopiers are available for student use on the first and third floors of the Haas Library.

General Encyclopedias & Art Histories

Oxford Art Online (formerly Grove Art Online)Online under Databases A-Z via the WCSU Libraries Homepage
The Art Atlas edited by John OnionsRef N 5300.A77 2008
The Dictionary of Art. 34 volumes (print version of Oxford Art Online).Ref N 31.D5 1996
American Art Directory. Biennial.Ref N 50.A54
Atlas of World ArtRef N 5300.A85 2004
The Book of Art. 10 volumes.Ref N 31.B6 1985
Encyclopedia of World Art. 16 volumes.Ref N 31.N533 1966
Facts on File Encyclopedia of Art. 5 volumes.Ref N 31.F33 2005
Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History. 13th edition.Ref N 5300.G25 2009 - On Closed Reserve at Circ Desk
Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. 7th edition.Ref N 5300.J3 2007 - On Closed Reserve at Circ Desk
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Art. 5 volumes.Ref N 33.M23 1969
The Oxford Companion to Western ArtRef N 33.O923 2001

Themes, Techniques & Terminology of Art

The Adeline Art DictionaryRef N 33.A223 1966
Artwords: A Glossary of Contemporary Art TheoryRef N 71.P32 1997
The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in ArtRef GR 705.W47 2004
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. Second edition.Ref N 7560.H34 2008
The Dictionary of Symbols in Western ArtRef N 7740.C29 1995
A Dictionary of Terms in ArtRef N 33.P2 1969
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. 2 volumes.Ref N 7560.E53 1998
Encyclopedia of Themes and Subjects in PaintingRef ND 1288.D3 1971
Gods and Heroes of Classical Antiquity (Flammarion Iconographic Guides)Ref N 7760.A34 1996
The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in ArtRef N 8510.G76 2008
The Language of Art from A to ZRef N 33.L346 1997
The Oxford Dictionary of American Art and ArtistsRef N 6505.M59 2007
The Oxford Dictionary of Art. Third edition.Ref N 33.O93 2004
The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists. Revised edition.Ref N 33.T53 1994

Periods & Movements

Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual ImageryRef NK 1483.A1.W37 2008x
A Companion to Medieval ArtRef N 5970.C56 2006
A Dictionary of Twentieth-Century ArtRef N 6490.C5317 1998
Encyclopedia of American Art before 1914Ref N 6507.E53 2000
Encyclopedia of Italian Renaissance and Mannerist Art. 2 volumes.Ref N 6370.E53 1999
Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean ArtRef N 6502.E53 1999
The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art. 5 volumes.Ref N 6505.G76 2011
The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture. 2 volumes.Ref N 5610.G76 2007
The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. 3 volumes.Ref N 6260.G75 2009
A Handbook of Greek ArtRef N 5630.R49
Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and ArchitectureRef N 6415.B3.Z57 2010
Historical Dictionary of SurrealismRef NX 456.5.S8.A87 2010
History of Italian Renaissance Art Ref N 6915.H37 1975
Larousse Encyclopedia of Modern ArtRef N 6450.H813 1981
The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century ArtRef N 6490.O94 1981
Renaissance Art and ArchitectureRef N 6370.C32 2004
Roman ArtRef N 5760.S68
Understanding Greek Vases: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and TechniquesRef NK 4645.C57 2002

Painting, Photography & Design

A Dictionary of Modern DesignRef NK 1165.W66 2004
Encyclopedia of PaintingRef ND 30.E5 1979
Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography. 2 volumes.Ref ML TR 9.H25 2008
The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography. Third edition.Ref TR 9.F6 1993
Index to Reproductions of American PaintingsRef ND 205.S575 1977
The Manual of Photography: Photographic and Digital Imaging. 9th edition.Ref TR 145.M315 2000
The Oxford Companion to J.M.W. TurnerRef ND 497.T8.O94 2001
The Oxford Companion to the PhotographRef TR 9.O94 2005
Painting in Europe, 800-1200Ref ND 140.D63
Sister Wendy's 1,000 MasterpiecesRef ND 50.B396 1999
World Painting Index. 2 volumes.Ref ND 45.H38 1977
The World's Master Paintings. 2 volumes.Ref ND 40.W75 1991

Architecture, Sculpture & Decorative Arts

American ArchitectsRef NA 736.K7 1989
A Dictionary of ArchitectureRef NA 31.C86 1999
Dictionary of Architecture and ConstructionRef NA 31.H32
Dictionary of Modern SculptureRef NB 50.D53
Encyclopedia of American ArchitectureRef NA 705.H86 1980
Encyclopedia of Architecture: Design, Engineering and Construction. 5 volumes.Ref NA 31.E59 1988
Encyclopedia of Interior Design. 2 volumes.Ref NK 1165.E48 1997
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Homes Through American History. 4 volumes.Ref NA 7205.G745 2008
The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts. 2 volumes.Ref NK 28.G76 2006
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects. 4 volumes.Ref NA 40.M25 1982
The Oxford Companion to Architecture. 2 volumes.Ref NA 31.O94 2009
The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and TechniquesRef TT 919.5.H35 2004
Sculpture TodayRef NB 198.C65 2007
World Architecture: The MasterworksRef NA 200.P79 2008
The World Atlas of ArchitectureRef NA 200.W67 1984

Biographical Sources

American Art Analog. 3 volumes.Ref N 6505.A56 1986
The Art of Black American WomenRef N 6538.N5.H45 1993
Benezit Dictionary of Artists. 14 volumes.Ref N 40.B4713 2006
A Biographical Dictionary of Women Artists in Europe and America Since 1850Ref N 6757.D86 1990
Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists. 4 volumes.Ref N 40.B535 2005
Dictionary of American Women ArtistsRef N 43.P47 1985
Dictionary of Contemporary American ArtistsRef N 6512.C854 1994
Encyclopedia of African American ArtistsRef N 6538.N5.J44 2009
The Oxford Dictionary of American Art and ArtistsRef N 6505.M59 2007
St. James Guide to Black ArtistsRef N 40.S78 1997
Who's Who in American Art. Biennial.Ref N 6536.W5
World Artists, 1950-1980Ref N 6489.M37 1984

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CONSULS Online Catalog for Books and Media

CONSULS catalog workstations are located in the Reference Area on the first floor, and on each of the other floors of the Haas Library. You may logon to CONSULS via the WCSU Libraries Homepage at library.wcsu.edu or directly at www.consuls.org. For more detailed instructions on searching, please see the yellow CONSULS flyer on the display rack on the first floor.

Please Note: CONSULS ignores upper and lower case, and you may omit punctuation, except the hyphen which must be replaced by a space.

TO FIND WORKS WRITTEN ABOUT A SPECIFIC ARTIST:

Select Subject at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the writer's name last-name-first. Correct spelling is important. To limit results to items owned by WCSU, click Limit/Sort and then select WCSU under "Where Item Is Located."

Example: vermeer johannes (press ENTER)
Or just: vermeer j (ENTER)

CONSULS will retrieve a list of Library of Congress subject headings that begin with the words you typed:

Vermeer Johannes 1632 1675 (main heading is subdivided)
Vermeer Johannes 1632 1675--Aesthetics
Vermeer Johannes 1632 1675--Criticism and interpretation
Vermeer Johannes 1632 1675--Exhibitions
Vermeer Johannes 1632 1675--Fiction

PLEASE NOTE: Personal name headings may also be subdivided by the titles of well-known works, for example:

Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn 1606 1669--Night Watch

To find videorecordings about the artist, type the person's name last-name-first as Subject. In the resulting headings display, click Limit/Sort, then select either DVD or VIDEO under "Material Type."

TO FIND ILLUSTRATIONS OF AN ARTIST'S WORKS:

To find illustrations published in books, select Subject at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the writer's name last-name-first (example: vermeer johannes). A headings display will appear on the screen--click on the subdivision for "Exhibitions." In the full record display for each item, look in the DESCRIPT field for the abbreviation ill. To find color illustrations, look for ill. (some col.) or col. ill. in the DESCRIPT field.

Illustrations of works of art can be located online in the Bridgeman Art Library database or via Google Images (images.google.com) by using a keywords search on the artist's last name, plus a few words from the title of the work:

Example: vermeer and girl with a pearl earring
Example: van gogh and starry night
Example: hockney and model with unfinished portrait

Or you can try a more general image search:

Example: van gogh and drawing and arles
Example: hockney and photo* and collage

TO FIND WORKS WRITTEN BY A SPECIFIC AUTHOR:

Select Author at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the writer's name last-name-first. Correct spelling is important.

Example: hockney david (press ENTER)
Or just: hockney d (ENTER)

To limit search results to items owned by WCSU, click on Limit/Sort and then select WCSU under "Where Item Is Located."

TO FIND WORKS WITH A SPECIFIC TITLE:

Select Title at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type as much of the title as you remember in correct word order. In CONSULS, you may omit "a," "an," or "the" at the beginning of a title.

Example: Dear Theo: The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh (press ENTER)
Or just: dear theo (ENTER)

TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIFIC TOPIC BY SUBJECT HEADING:

Select Subject at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type the Library of Congress subject heading that best describes your topic. Correct spelling and word order are important. The complete list of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is published in a set of big red books available in the Reference Area on the first floor.

Example: Art, Renaissance--Italy--Florence (press ENTER)
Or just: art renaissance italy (ENTER)

TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIFIC TOPIC BY KEYWORD(S):

Select Keyword(s) at the CONSULS Main Menu, then type words that best describe your topic, in any order.

Example: post-impressionis* and (van gogh or gauguin or cezanne) press ENTER
Example: michelangelo and sistine and (chapel or ceiling or fresco*) ENTER
Example: hockney and (print* or photograph* or graphic*) ENTER

Use the * (asterisk) as a truncation symbol to retrieve variant forms of a word root. Use the Boolean OR to expand your search by including synonyms and related terms. When using two different Boolean commands in the same search statement ("and" and "or" in the preceding examples) you must include parentheses to indicate which command is to be performed first.

TO REQUEST MATERIALS FROM THE OTHER CSU LIBRARIES:

If the item you need is owned by one of the other CSU Libraries (CCSU, SCSU, or ECSU) but not by WCSU, or if the WCSU copy is checked out, you may order the item electronically via Inter-Campus Loan. Select the Request option at the full record display in CONSULS, then select "WCSU" and type your campus network username and password. Be sure to specify a pickup location (Haas or Young Library) before initiating your request.

There is a limit of ten (10) Inter-Campus Loan requests per person. Videos are available via Inter-Campus Loan. Please allow 3-4 working days for delivery to the Haas Circulation Desk. Items borrowed via Inter-Campus Loan may be renewed if no one else has placed a HOLD on the item.

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Online Databases for Finding Periodical Articles

Oxford Art Online (formerly Grove Art Online)
Coverage: Essays by scholars on artists, genre, movements, techniques, etc., with links to over 40,000 images. Articles are browsable and keywords searchable; pictorial content is keywords searchable.
Location: Under Articles & Databases: A-Z on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: History of art and art movements worldwide, including biographical information about artists.
Bridgeman Art Library
Coverage: 360,000 high-quality images from galleries, museums, and private collections worldwide.
Location: Under Article & Databases: A-Z on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Keyword searching retrieves images of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, decorative art, architecture, and more.
Google Images
Coverage: Online images of works of art
Location: On the Internet at images.google.com.
Scope: Keyword searching retrieves images displayed on publicly accessible Websites worldwide (try a search on "mona lisa").
Academic Search Premier in EBSCOhost
Coverage: 1990 - present (earlier for many publications)
Location: Under Articles & Databases: Most Popular at the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Indexes over 8,000 newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals in most fields (including art), with 4,500+ available in full-text.
JSTOR
Coverage: Issue number one to within 3-5 years of present
Location: Under Articles & Databases: Most Popular on the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Full-text of over 500 core scholarly journals in more than 50 disciplines, including art (complete backfiles).
WorldCat via OCLC FirstSearch
Location: Select OCLC FirstSearch under Articles & Databases: A-Z at the WCSU Libraries Homepage.
Scope: Indexes 100+ million books, manuscripts, theses, and non-print items in all fields, owned by libraries in North America. If the item is not owned by WCSU, you may use Interlibrary Loan.

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Locating Periodicals in the Haas Library

The Haas Library subscribes to over 35 print magazines and journals in art and photography. An additional 50+ art periodicals are available in online full-text in journal databases. To find out if WCSU subscribes to a specific periodical in print or online:

1. Select Journal Title at the CONSULS main menu, then type the name of the periodical (example: art in america) and press ENTER. If a title list appears on the screen, select the desired title, then look inside the box to find WCSU holdings. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the screen to see if WCSU owns backfiles on microfilm or microfiche.

2. To find out if a given periodical is available in full-text in one or more of WCSU's online databases, use the A-to-Z Journal Title Locator available under Articles & Databases on the WCSU Libraries Homepage (library.wcsu.edu).


How to Use Interlibrary Loan

If the CSU Libraries do not own the book you need, or if WCSU does not subscribe to the periodical you need, you may request delivery of the item from another library via Interlibrary Loan using the online ILLiad system available at: libguides.wcsu.edu/ill.

There is a limit of 5 Interlibrary Loan requests per person per day. Media items are not available via Interlibrary Loan. Under most circumstances, Interlibrary Loan is a free service, but please allow at least ten working days for delivery. You will be notified as soon as the material arrives. Faster document delivery service is available for a reasonable fee. Please see the librarian at the Reference Desk or call the Interlibrary Loan Desk at (203) 837-9114 for more information.


Do You Have a Question?

The Reference Desk on the first floor of the Haas Library is staffed by a professional librarian, trained to assist in your research, or you may contact Joan Reitz, Instruction Librarian, at 837-8308 or reitzj@wcsu.edu. My office is located in Room 402 on the fourth floor of the Haas Library, near the glass elevator. Please drop in if you need assistance!

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Please send your comments to Joan Reitz, Haas Instruction Librarian, Western Connecticut State University.
reitzj@wcsu.edu
Last updated on August 30, 2012.