Welcome — Art and Art History
This guide is intended to help you research topics in art and art history, a field with a wide variety of information sources. Art research encompasses the study of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, design, graphic arts, and intersects other subjects such as geography, anthropology, and mass media.
Using the tabs, navigate to specific types of resource: reference encyclopedias and dictionaries, books, journals and research databases, and web resources. Use the tab for Image Resources for links many online sources for images you can use for study and research.
Dada collage, attributed to Hugo Ball, c.1915.
Develop a research plan
What are the key concepts of your topic? Do you need to broaden or narrow your focus? Consider focusing on one or more of the following:
- time period
- place
- specific event
- specific people
Does your topic overlap other subject areas such as anthropology, geography or political science?
Think of 2-3 questions that you will need to explore.
- Consider the history of your topic, and its categories.
- Who are the key people? What did they do? Why did it happen?
Under each question, think about the following:
- What do you already know about your topic or issue?
- What do you need to learn to better understand your topic or issue?
- What kind of information resource might provide the answer to these questions?
Consider your audience.
- Who will read your paper?
- Why will it be of interest to them?
- What will be new to them?
Citation and Style Guides
Visit the Citation Guide for help with creating citations in MLA or APA formats, annotated bibliographies, and general guidance on formatting academic papers.
Many art historians use Chicago Style for bibliographies. Visit the Chicago Manual of Style Online for guidance. Be sure to consult with your instructor about citation style.