Books
On Artists
- Browse the reference collection to see if any of the encyclopedias or directories contain information on the artist. The most likely call numbers to use are
- N - general works of art
- NA - works on architecture
- NB - sculpting
- NC - drawing
- ND - painting
- NE - print media
- NK - decorative arts & ceramics
- NX - special topics in art
- TR - photography
Some things you might want to take note of are: sources listed in the bibliographies, names of museums where the artist's work has been exhibited, and dates of exhibitions.
Grove's Dictionary of Art (Reference N 31 .D5) is especially useful. It is online as Oxford Art Online.
- To find books on artists start with the Library's Catalog.
- Do a subject search to see if the Library has any books on your artist. Remember to put the last name first.
- Do an author search to see if there are any books of reproductions of the artist's works. Artists, whether living or dead, can be considered the author of a book if it is primarily reproductions of their works.
- Do a keyword search to see if the artist is listed in just a chapter of a book.
On Particular Works of Art
- Use books from the library collection that contain information on the artist. Check the table of contents, index, and list of illustrations to see if the particular work is included.
- Use the library catalog to locate books about or books published by the museum that owns the work. Check the table of contents, index, and list of illustrations to see if the particular work is included.
- Use reference books to identify which books contain a reproduction of the work you are looking for. The following titles will help you locate particular paintings. They are best for 20th century and earlier works.
- American painting; a guide to information sources REF ND 205 .K4 1974x
- Index to reproductions of American paintings REF ND 205 .M57 and REF ND 205 .S575
- Index to reproductions of European paintings REF ND 45 .M6
- Index to two-dimensional art works REF N 7525 .K67
- World painting index REF ND 45 .H38
- Use Academic Search Premiere or JSTOR (see databases below) and enter in the title of the work.
Databases and Indexes
Perhaps your artist will be found in just part of a book or in magazine, journal, or newspaper articles. These are some sources you may find helpful. You will need to have your library card to access these databases from off campus.
- Academic OneFile
- Contains peer-reviewed, full-text articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference sources.
- Academic Search Premier
- Indexes over 4,500 journals and magazines.
- Art And Architecture Complete
- Articles from journals, magazines, and trade publications covering all aspects of the arts.
- Biography and Genealogy Master Index
- Indexes over 13.3 million biographical articles from reference books.(No off-campus access)
- Biography Index (1946-present)
- Indexes biographies located in books, magazines or journals, and newspapers. Includes numerous interviews. Located on the lower level of the Library.
- Essay And General Literature Index
- Searches for essays and chapters in books which might be owned by the C.O.D. Library or be available through Interlibrary Loan.
- Oxford Art Online
- Full-text of scholarly encyclopedia articles covering the visual arts. Links to images of artistic works and to selected Web sites.
- JSTOR
- JSTOR is an archive of digitized journal articles ranging in date from the 1700's to the mid 2000's.
- Proquest Newspapers
- Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Good for searching for exhibition reviews and gallery shows.
Using Web Sites
Students often turn to the web as the first source for information. It may be the most convenient, but it is not always the most reliable source. Anyone can publish a web site. Each web site you find should be evaluated for accuracy, credibility, objectivity, and currency.
Websites maintained by museums or other records of exhibitions can be helpful, especially for artists just now becoming well known.
Using Other Libraries
In addition to using the C.O.D. library, many public libraries have significant art book collections. As a C.O.D. student you may also borrow directly from Benedictine, Elmhurst, North Central, and Wheaton College libraries. Check here for exact details. You may find a trip to the Art Institute library beneficial too. If you have sufficient time and need a book or an article that's not available in the C.O.D. library you can send for it on Interlibrary Loan.
How to Write about Art
Check out these guides for help in writing about art.
- How to Study and Write for Art
- Short Guide to Writing About Art N 7476 .B37 2005
- Thinking and Writing About Art History N 380 .R438 2004
- Writing About Art
- The Writing Center; University of North Carolina
Citing Sources
The MLA format (Modern Language Association) is commonly used to create bibliographies or works cited pages for the field of art. The sources below may help you.
- C.O.D. Library's page on Citing Sources: APA & MLA Style
- Research and Documentation Online
Ken Orenic
Reference Librarian
630.942.2338
orenick@cod.edu
Updated April, 2013
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