Research Guides: Art: Researching the Visual Arts: Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide is intended for students who are looking for images, books or articles involving the visual arts.

Reference works are an excellent way of getting background information on your topic. They're usually trustworthy because they've been written and reviewed by subject experts.

Reference Databases

Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Search and display the full-text of reference books.
Subjects: Many subjects, including History, Education, Film, Health, Science, Social Science
Info type: encyclopedia and reference book entries.
List of sources.
Grove Art Online (via Oxford Art Online) This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Visual Arts, Artists, Aesthetics
Info type: scholarly encyclopedia articles, biographies, images, book info, definitions
Access Tips: Up to 3 users at a time. If you don't get in, try again later.

Electronic & Print Reference Resources

Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art by J. Hall
Publication Date: 2018
Addresses religious, classical and historical themes; figures of moral allegory; and characters from romantic poetry that appeared in visual art in Western art before and after the Renaissance.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms by M. Clarke
Publication Date: 2001
Provides explanations of over 1,800 terms used in the wide variety of visual media that makes up the art world.
Prestel Dictionary of Art and Artists of the 20th Century by W. Schmied
Call Number: N33 .P74 2000, Reference Collection - 1st Level North
Publication Date: 2000
Provides an authoritative guide through the maze of twentieth-century artists, movements, photographers, techniques, styles and turn-of-the-century precursors.
A Biographical Dictionary of Artists by L. Gowing
Call Number: N40 .B53 1995, Reference Collection - 1st Level North
Publication Date: 1995
Summarizes the development of each artist's style and works against a background of biographical information.