Last revised: August 2006

Researching and Writing About Art

Scope: This guide lists selected resources which provide an introduction to the visual analysis of works of art, approaches to art research, and to writing about art. All print resources are located in the Art Library unless otherwise noted. Email the subject area specialist at lwg@umail.umd.edu or call 301-405-9064 for more information.

Table of Contents

• Visual Analysis of Works of Art
• Guides to Research in Art History
• Writing About Art
• Historiography
• Web Resources
• Library of Congress Subject Headings

VISUAL ANALYSIS OF WORKS OF ART

• Carr, Dawson W. Looking at Paintings: A Guide to Technical Terms. Malibu, CA: J. Paul Getty Museum in association with British Museum Publications, 1992.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: ND31.C37 1992
  
• Feldman, Edmund Burke. Varieties of Visual Experience. 4th ed. New York: Abrams, 1992.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO
  CALL NUMBER: N71.F42 1992b
  
• Finn, David. How to Look at Everything. New York: H.N. Abrams, 2000.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: TR183.F55 2000
  
• Finn, David. How to Look at Sculpture: Text and Photographs. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1989.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: NB1142.5.F56 1989
  
• Lambert, Susan. Reading Drawings: An Introduction to Looking at Drawings. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: NC715.L35 1984
  
• Nemett, Barry. Images, Objects, and Ideas: Viewing the Visual Arts. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, 1992.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO
  CALL NUMBER: N71.N46 1992
  
• Perkins, David N. The Intelligent Eye: Learning to Think by Looking at Art. Santa Monica, CA: Getty Center for Education in the Arts, 1994.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N7430.5.P52 1994
  
• Preble, Duane. Artforms: An Introduction to the Visual Arts. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 1999.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO
  CALL NUMBER: N7430.P69 1999
  
• Straten, Roelof van. An Introduction to Iconography. Langhorne, PA: Gordon and Breach, 1994.
  LOCATION: ART REF, ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N7565.S7713 1994
  
• Taylor, Joshua C. Learning to Look: A Handbook for the Visual Arts. 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS, ARCH STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N7477.T39 1981
  
• Whitford, Frank. Understanding Abstract Art. New York: Dutton, 1987.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N6494.A2W54 1987
  
• Yenawine, Philip. How to Look at Modern Art. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N6490.Y46 1991
  
• Zelanski, Paul. The Art of Seeing. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO
  CALL NUMBER: N7430.5.Z36 1994
  

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GUIDES TO RESEARCH IN ART HISTORY

• Barzun, Jacques. The Modern Researcher. 5th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992.
  LOCATION: ART REF, MCK STACKS, MCKREF STACKS, PA LIB REF
  CALL NUMBER: D13.B334 1992
  
• Ehresmann, Donald L. Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks. 3rd ed. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1990.
  LOCATION: ART REF
  CALL NUMBER: N5300.E7 1990
  
• Jones, Lois Swan. Art Information and the Internet: How to Find It, How to Use It. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1999.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO, ART REF, ARCH REFFOL
  CALL NUMBER: N59.J66 1999
  
• Jones, Lois Swan. Art Information: Research Methods and Resources. 3rd ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt, 1990.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO, ART REF, LIBSCH STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N85.J64 1990
  
• Kleinbauer, W. Eugene. Research Guide to the History of Western Art. Chicago: American Library Association, 1982.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS, LIBSCH STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N380.K56 1982
  
• Marmor, Max. Guide to the Literature of Art History 2. Chicago: American Library Association, 2005.
  LOCATION: ART REF
  CALL NUMBER: N380.M37G85
  
• Muehsam, Gerd. Guide to Basic Information Sources in the Visual Arts. Santa Barbara, CA: J. Norton, 1978.
  LOCATION: ART REF, ARCH STACKS, LIBSCH STACKS, NTL STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N7425.M88
  
• Pollard, Elizabeth B. Visual Arts Research: A Handbook. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS, ARCH REF
  CALL NUMBER: N85.P55 1986
  
• Raish, Martin, ed. Key Guide to Electronic Resources: Art and Art History. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 1996.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO, ART REF
  CALL NUMBER: NX192.K48 1996
  

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WRITING ABOUT ART

• Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS, ART REF
  CALL NUMBER: N7476.B37 2000
  
• Carrier, David. Principles of Art History Writing. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N380.C37 1991
  
• Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1999.
  LOCATION: ART REF
  CALL NUMBER: LB2369.G53 1999b
  
• Goldman, Bernard. Reading and Writing in the Arts: A Handbook. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1972.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS, MCK STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: Z5931.G6
  
• Homer, William Innes. The Language of Contemporary Criticism Clarified. Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1999.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS, ART REF, MCKREF STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: PN81.H525 1999
  
• Li, Xia and Nancy B. Crane. Electronic Styles: a Handbook for Citing Electronic Information. 2nd ed. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 1996.
  LOCATION: ART REF, MCKREF QCKREF
  CALL NUMBER: PN171.F56L5 1996
  
• Lupton, Ellen. Design, Writing, Research: Writing on Graphic Design. New York: Kiosk, 1996.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO
  CALL NUMBER: Z246.L86 1996
  
• Nelson, Robert S. and Richard Shiff, eds. Critical Terms for Art History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N34.C75 1996
  
• Sayre, Henry. Writing About Art. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N7476.S29 1995
  
• Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
  LOCATION: ART REF, ARCH REF, MCKREF QCKREF
  CALL NUMBER: LB2369.T8 1996
  

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HISTORIOGRAPHY

• Harris, Jonathan. The New Art History: A Critical Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2001.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N7480.H37 2001
  
• Jansen, Charles R. Studying Art History. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N380.J36 1986
  
• Johnson, W. McAllister. Art History: Its Use and Abuse. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N380.J64 1988
  
• Kultermann, Udo. The History of Art History. New York: Abaris Books, 1993.
  LOCATION: ART FOLIO
  CALL NUMBER: N380.K8513 1993
  
• Roskill, Mark. What is Art History? 2nd ed. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 1989.
  LOCATION: ART STACKS
  CALL NUMBER: N380.R67 1989
  

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WEB RESOURCES

• Art History Resources on the Web
  (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html)

• ArtLex: A Visual Arts Dictionary
  (http://www.artlex.com)

• Words of Art: A Glossary of Art History Terms
  (http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/creative/links/glossary.html)

• Citing Electronic Resources
  (http://www.lib.umd.edu/UES/citing.html)

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS

• art appreciation
  
• art criticism
  
• art historiography
  
• art psychological aspects
  
• communication art
  
• comoposition art
  
• painting pyschological aspects
  
• visual perception art
  

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