ART METHODS

•Art Information: Research Methods and Resources [R.R. N85 .J64 1990]

•Guide to the Literature of Art History 2 [R.R. N380 .A75 2005]

•Art Information and the Internet: How to Find It, How to Use It [N59 .J66 1999]

•Encyclopedia of Aesthetics [R.R. BH56 .E53 1998]

DIRECTORIES

•American Art Directory 2009 [R.R. N9 .A3 2009]
This volume contains entries for art museums and libraries, art schools, art organizations and associations, and art magazines.

GENERAL ART ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND DICTIONARIES

These sources will lead you to information about artists, art movements, styles, the art of a particular country, art techniques, etc.

•The Dictionary of Art (34 v.) [R.R. N31 .D5 1996]
The most comprehensive art reference work around, even though it treats Western art more extensively. Vol. 34 is an index to the entire set. You will find biographies of artists, theorists, art historians, and critics, articles devoted to cultures, countries, civilizations, artistic styles, schools, groups, and movements, as well as articles about forms, themes and the subject matter of art.

•The Encyclopedia of World Art (17 v) [R.R. N31 .E59]
This work was once considered the standard encyclopedia of art. Still valuable and containing excellent scholarship. Vol. 15 is an index.

•Oxford Dictionary of Art [R.R. N33 .O93 2001]

•Yale Dictionary of Art and Artists [R.R. N33 .L353 2000]

ARCHITECTURE

•Oxford Dictionary of Architecture & Landscape Architecture [R.R. NA31 .C864 2006]

•Encyclopedia of 20th Century Architecture. 3v. [R.R. NA680 .E495 2004]

•Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects. 4v. [R.R. NA40 .M25]

SCULPTURE

•Encyclopedia of Sculpture [R.R. NB198 .E53 2004] (2v)

DECORATIVE ARTS

•The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts. 2v. [R.R. NK28 .G76 2006]

ILLUSTRATION

•American Book and Magazine Illustrators to 1920. [R.R. PN451 .D4 v.188]
Part of the Gale series: Dictionary of Literary Biography - also available online.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

To find biographies of artists, start with the Biography and Genealogy Master Index. This index will provide a list of entries for dictionaries and encyclopedias where you can find biographical articles for particular individuals.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index (electronic database)
An index to biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Listed below are other biographical resources relating to art that you should be familiar with:

•Benezit Dictionary of Artists. 14v. [R.R. N40 .D5213 2006]

•Index to Artistic Biography [R.R. N40 .H38]

SYMBOLS, ICONOGRAPHY & THEMES

•Dictionary of Symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems [R.R. GR931 .T74 1998]

•Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art [R.R. N7740 .H35 1994]

•1000 Symbols [R.R. N7740 .S54 2002]

•Symbols and Rebuses in Chinese Art: Figures, Bugs, Beasts, and Flowers [R.R. N7340 .F36 2004]

•Christian Symbols, Ancient and Modern: A Handbook for Students [R.R. BV150 .C53]

•The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art [R.R. GR705 .W47 2004]

•Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art [R. R. N7560 .E53 1998]
Approaches artistic works from a large thematic perspective, e.g. birth, crucifixion, devotion, fortune, laughter, night, vanity, etc.

•Symbols and Legends in Western Art [R.R. N7740 .W63]

ATLASES

•Atlas of World Art [R.R. Atlases: G1046 .E1 O9 2004]

•Atlas of Western Art History [R.R. Atlases: G1046 .E64 S7 1994]

CATALOGS

Bridge, the online catalog of St. Olaf and Carleton is most often searched using TITLE, AUTHOR, KEYWORD, and/or SUBJECT. Subject searching refers to a search using Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Subject headings are particularly powerful in that they yield a more thorough search and can ensure that you have found all relevant materials. You can either use the hardbound volume ("Big Red") located near the Rolvaag reference desk or use the SUBJECT search and try a term that you think is reasonable. BRIDGE will indicate if this is an accepted term and will quite frequently point you to the correct LCSH subject term.

Some examples of relevant Subject Headings:

Browsing is another way to search for materials, once you know the Library of Congress call number ranges for the materials you want. Art materials are cataloged in the "N"s (4th floor Rolvaag) and are organized as follows:

Works on the history of art can be found in the call number range N5300 - N7418.

CULTURAL CONTEXT (call number begins with..)

Bibliographies are very valuable sources of information that help you find what has been written about your subject. They come in two forms: book length bibliographies and bibliographies that appear at the end of articles or encyclopedia entries.

•BHA (Bibliography of the History of Art) [Reference Storage N7510 .R42]
Cumulative index volumes will lead you to abstracts in the other volumes in the series.

•Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks [R.R. N5300 .E47 1990]

•Twentieth Century Artists on Art: An Index to Writings, Statements, and Interviews by Artists, Architects, and Designers [R.R. NX456 .R59 1985]

INDEXES		DATABASES
Art Index "Indexes English-language art periodicals, plus museum bulletins, bibliographies, film reviews, and conference reports. Covers 1984 to the present.		Academic Search Premier This database provides access to over 8040 multi-disciplinary publications, many in full text. Covers 1975 to the present.
		Jstor An index to and full text of select, academic journals.
Art Index Retrospective Covers 1929-1984.
ARTbibliographies Modern - Modern and contemporary art. Covers 1974-present.		Project Muse An index to and full text of journals published by Johns Hopkins University Press and other scholarly publishers.
		Paper Journals (check Bridge)

 

ARTstor -- A "repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images and related data." Covers architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design from many cultures.

INTERNET

Infomine -- this is a catalog of scholarly internet sites created by librarians. Search by topic.

Art Cyclopedia: A Guide to Great Art on the Internet -- This web site has many useful features including an interface that leads to art museums around the world.

The Getty - Research Tools -- Not everything on this page is free to the public, however the tools under "Standards and Vocabularies" are.

Librarians are here to help - please stop by the reference desk if you need us!