Research Tips & Tools

Subject Guide:

Art Research Guide

Identifying the Work of Art

To fully research an art object using the resources here at RWU and on our Library Home Page, start by finding basic information about the object, including the artist's name, the date or period the work was made, and the location of the object. Use an art dictionary to explain unfamiliar terms. Basic information can be found in the following sources:

 
Art Index
The Art Index is an index to periodical articles made up of two sub-indexes: Art Abstracts which covers articles published from 1984 to the present and Art Index Retrospective which covers articles published before 1984. Use the title or artist of the object as keywords.
ArtSTOR
Oxford (Grove) Dictionary of Art
Available to RWU students as both a Web resource from the Library Home Page and in print in the Architecture Library (ARCH REF N31 D5 1996). This encyclopedia is the best source for identifying an art object. Grove's Includes articles on major artists and architects, art movements and styles, and the history of art worldwide. Use the index volume to find references.
 
Oxford Dictionary of Art
ARCH REF N33 .O93 1997
Available in print only at the Architecture Library. Use to define terms as well as periods and styles in art history.

Searching HELIN

After you have thoroughly identified your art work by locating it's title, artist, location, and date, a general search for books should be done in the HELIN catalog. The HELIN catalog includes records of over 3 million titles owned by the eight libraries in the Rhode Island HELIN consortium. HELIN also allows you to borrow books from the member libraries using the Request function.

Begin by searching under the artist's name or the period of art as a Word Search. Generally there are few books found under an art work's title unless the work is fairly well known and someone has written a book solely about that work of art. If you do a Subject search you need to enter the exact Library of Congress (LC) subject heading. The library staff can assist you with determining the exact LC heading. If you do not receive any results from your search, consult the library staff.

Examples of search terms for the work Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso might be:

Picasso, Pablo
Demoiselles d'Avignon
Primitivism
Painting, French

Searching the Periodical Literature

Searching the periodical literature is essential to find the most current information about an art work. The RWU Libraries provide from the library home page a variety of electronic and print indexes in art and architecture, some of which are described below. Each index will require search terms similar to those used to search HELIN. Try to broaden or narrow your terms, as necessary, and use multiple synonyms. Consult the staff for help in searching the indexes.

Art Abstracts
The Library subscribes to the online version updating the former Art Index. For articles before 1984 see the Art Index Retrospective below. An abstract (summary) is given for some articles indexed

COVERAGE: Major art and architecture journals; emphasis on U.S., 1984-present.

ACCESS: By building title, subject, architect, building type, author's name
Art Index Retrospective
An online version of the former Art Index.

COVERAGE: Major art and architecture journals; emphasis on U.S.,1929-1984.

ACCESS: Same as Art Abstracts.
Avery Index to Architecture Periodicals
The Avery Index primarily indexes architecture journals but these may include many articles on art.

COVERAGE: All major architecture journals, both international and U.S., 18??-present

ACCESS: By keyword, subject, architect, location, building type, author

NOTE: Keyword searches are most successful
Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA)
Comprehensive art bibliography covering European and American visual arts from late antiquity to the present. This database indexes and abstracts art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealers' catalogs, and articles from over 4,300 periodicals.
Ebsco Academic Search Premier
Ebsco provides full text of the articles for more than 3,460 scholarly publications. This database is updated on a daily basis. A special feature is the option to search for images.

COVERAGE: All academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

ACCESS: By keyword, subject, or journal title

Locating Periodical Articles

Periodical articles may be located in periodicals owned by RWU or from other schools through interlibrary loan. All of the online indexes allow you to e-mail your results to your e-mailbox. First check the RWU Serials List at the Circulation Desk. If RWU does not own the periodical, ask a librarian for advice on where to find it. The RWU librarians can tell you if any other library in the area might own the periodical. If not, an ILL request can be made from the Library home page. Remember to save the full citation of the article from the index, as this will be necessary when requesting from another library.