Many of the links in these FAQ's are available only to University of Houston students, staff, and faculty, if you are using a computer outside of the UH Libraries. If you encounter difficulties with a link, you may need to use the computers in the UH Libraries or read the Library's Connect from Home or Office.
Much valuable information on art is available only in printed form. Books and journals listed in these FAQ's with call numbers beginning with "Arch&Art" are located in the UH Architecture and Art Library.
The best sources to search will depend upon the artist you are researching and the type of information that you need. The easiest first step is to check the UH Library Catalog to see if there is a book on your artist, but journal articles, dictionaries, and encyclopedias also provide useful information.
Brief Biographical Information
Books on an Artist
Journal Articles on an Artist
Oxford Reference Online provides brief information on many artists.
Additional biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias are available in the Architecture and Art Library.
Dictionary of Art. (34 volumes) Arch&Art/Reference N31.D5 1996
Dictionary of Women Artists. Arch&Art/Reference N43.P47 1985
St. James Guide to Black Artists. Arch & Art/Reference N40.S78 1997
Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Khnstler (Thieme-Becker). Arch&Art/Reference N40.T4
Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs (BJnJzit). Arch&Art/Reference N40.B47 1999
Index to Artistic Biography. Arch&Art/Reference N40.H38
You may be able to find more information in books or journal articles.
If the Library owns a book that deals entirely with one artist, you can find it by doing a Subject search in the UH Library Catalog on the last name of the artist.
If the artist has written an autobiography or published letters or journals, these can be found by doing an Author search in the UH Library Catalog on the artist's last name.
If you are looking for an artist from an early period or a non-Western culture, the usual last-name-first arrangement may not apply. For example, Leonardo da Vinci is found by searching "Leonardo," not "da Vinci." In these cases, enter the artist's name in a Keywords search, since word-order doesn't matter in Keywords searches.
If the artist is not listed at all in the UH Library Catalog, there may still be substantial information in the Library in biographical dictionaries and journal articles.
Art Full Text
Indexes journal articles on all periods of art and all media, including painting, sculpture, photography, graphic arts, and industrial design beginning in 1984. In spite of the implication of the title, only some of the articles are available electronically in the database. For articles indexed before 1984, use Art Index Retrospective.
BHA(Bibliography of the History of Art)
Covers only material on Western art from the fourth century to the present; however, it includes short summaries of the items indexed, and it indexes books and exhibition catalogs as well as journal articles. It also covers a greater number of journals than the Art Full Text.
ARTbibliographies Modern
Indexes and provides short summaries of articles on twentieth-century modern and contemporary art, including fine, applied, decorative, and graphic arts and photography.
To find books and journal articles, you should check the UH Library Catalog and the databases Art Full Text and ARTbibliographies Modern. There are also several biographical dictionaries specifically on contemporary artists, including the following:
Contemporary Artists. Arch&Art/Reference N6490.C6567 1996
Contemporary Photographers. Arch&Art/Reference TR139.C664 1995
Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists. Arch&Art/Reference N6536.C8 1994
North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century. Arch&Art/Reference N6503.N67 1995
Who's Who in American Art. Arch&Art/Reference N6536.W5
Who's Who in Art. Arch&Art/Reference N40.W6
If the artist is working or exhibiting in the Houston area, search the Houston Chronicle database to find reviews of local exhibitions.
Brief Background Information
Finding Books and Journal Articles
Articles in dictionaries and encyclopedias can supply background on the subject as well as related terms and lists of additional sources that could prove useful in your search. A few of the major art encyclopedias are listed below.
Oxford Reference Online
Dictionary of Art. (34 volumes) Arch&Art/Reference N31.D5 1996
Encyclopedia of World Art. Arch&Art/Reference N31.E4833
International Dictionary of Art and Artists. Arch&Art/Reference N40.I55 1990
After getting background information from an encyclopedia, use the UH Library Catalog to find books and use Art Full Text to find articles.
If Keyword searching in the UH Library Catalog doesn't lead you to books on the subject, try using the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) to identify the term used to designate the period, group, or medium in the Catalog. Terms used in the Catalog are listed in boldface print. Cross references and related terms are also listed.
Another means of identifying books on a particular aspect of art is to use a bibliography, such as Etta Arntzen's Guide to the Literature of Art History (Arch&Art/Reference N380.A685) or Bernard Karpel's Arts in America: a Bibliography (Arch&Art/Reference NX503.A1 A77). To find other art bibliographies, search the UH Library Catalog by Subject using the heading ART--BIBLIOGRAPHY or the heading for the period or medium with the subheading BIBLIOGRAPHY, for example:
PAINTING, ITALIAN--BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Oxford Reference Online
ARTLEX: art dictionary
The Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art (Arch&Art/Reference N7560.H34) and the Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art (Arch&Art/Reference N7740.C29 1995) are good starting points. However, since the study of symbols in art can be quite complex, the chapters on iconography in the following books provide more information about the variety of sources available.
Art Information and the Internet. Arch&Art/Reference N59.J66 1999
Guide to the Literature of Art History. Arch&Art/Reference N380.A685
Research Guide to the History of Western Art. Arch&Art/Reference N380.K56 1982
Guide to Basic Information Sources in the Visual Arts. Arch&Art/Reference N7425.M88
If you know the artist's name, do a Subject search in the UH Library Catalog to see if we have an entire book on the artist. You can then check the index in the book to see if the particular work of art is included.
There are also several indexes to reproductions of works of art that are useful if you don't know the artist's name, if the Library doesn't have any books on the artist, or if the books on the artist don't include an illustration of the work in question. All of the following indexes can help you identify illustration sources by artist's name, title of work, or subject.
World Painting Index. Arch&Art/Reference ND45.H38
Index to Two-Dimensional Art Works. Arch&Art/Reference N7525.K67
Index to Reproductions of American Paintings. Arch&Art/Reference ND205.S575
Sculpture Index. Arch&Art/Reference NB36.C55
Photography Index. Arch&Art/Reference TR199.P37
If the work of art is in a French, German, or Italian museum or church, the Library will probably have a black-and-white reproduction on microfiche. The Alinari Photo Archive (Arch&Art/Microfiche 779) illustrates works of art and architecture in Italy, the Marburger Index (Arch&Art/Microfiche 734) does the same for Germany, and L'index photographique de l'art en France (Arch&Art/Microfiche 792) covers France.
For a copy of a catalog of a museum's holdings, do a Keyword search in the UH Library Catalog on the name of the museum and the city in which it is located. (Example: MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON) If the museum is in France, Germany, or Italy, the Library will probably have a black-and-white reproductions of works in the museum on microfiche. The Alinari Photo Archive (Arch&Art/Microfiche 779) illustrates works of art and architecture in Italy, the Marburger Index (Arch&Art/Microfiche 734) does the same for Germany, and L'index photographique de l'art en France (Arch&Art/Microfiche 792) covers France.
Some of the expensive, old, or heavily illustrated art books have been placed in the Closed Collection to prevent theft and mutilation. Keeping these books in the Closed Collection is part of an effort to ensure that the books you need will be available and intact when you need them. Items in the Closed Collection are identified in the UH Library Catalog by the location code Arch&Art/Closed Coll.
Many of the books in the Closed Collection can be checked out for the regular loan period. The others can be consulted in the Library, with a valid Cougar One card or driver's license.
If you need something not owned by the University of Houston Libraries, it can probably be obtained through the Interlibrary Loan service.
The books listed below provide useful discussions of the art research process and descriptions of many art reference tools.
Art Information and the Internet. Arch&Art/Reference N59.J66 1999
Guide to the Literature of Art History. Arch&Art/Reference N380.A685
Research Guide to the History of Western Art. Arch&Art/Reference N380.K56 1982
Guide to Basic Information Sources in the Visual Arts. Arch&Art/Reference N7425.M88
If you have another question or if you have difficulty in finding or using the materials discussed, you can call the Architecture and Art Library at 713-743-2340.
