Background Information

The Dictionary of Art
"The Dictionary of Art is the most comprehensive work on art and culture ever published. A sample of its contents includes: 20,000 biographies; chronological surveys of the art and architecture of every country in the world; in-depth articles on cultures and civilizations part and present; information about 1,500 archaeological sites and 1,350 cities; discussions of styles and movements in art and architecture; detailed information about artist materials and their uses; articles on forms, themes, and subject-matter in art and architecture; as well as discussions of theoretical issues and entries covering the development of all forms of the decorative arts."

Encyclopedia of World Art
"The subject matter of the Encyclopedia consists of the representational arts in the broadest sense, that is, architecture, sculpture, and painting, and every other man-made object thatenters the filed of esthetic judgment because of its form or decoration." This work houses a vast amount of information in the study of art in general. Subjects covered include art history, culture, schools, artists of major importance, impact on religion and society, and art materials and techniques.

The Golden Encyclopedia of Art
In this encyclopedia, images of artwork are presented in chronological order. Images of "painting, sculpture, architecture, and ornament, from Prehistoric Times to the Twentieth Century" are presented in this work.

The HarperCollins Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques
This dictionary is indispensable to anyone wanting to know more about art terms and techniques. The entries are put in alphabetical order and cross-referenced, so it is very easy to find what you are looking for. The entries are also very concise and easy to understand, even for those that have no past history in the arts.

National Museum of American Art
This is a "multimedia (video, slide shows, sound) version of the National Museum of American Art. Includes more than 750 major works of art; complete background information including artist biographies and text/audio commentary by curatorial staff and some of the artists themselves; nearly two hours of supplementary video, slide presentations, audio clips, and animated segments; user-defined portfolios; extensive search and play tools; American art Reference volumes."

The Oxford Dictionary of Art
This dictionary is a concise guide to art terms and important artists. It contains short biographies on noted artists, as well as entries on art forms, terms, historical information, and materials used in art.

The Praeger Picture Encyclopedia of Art
This encyclopedia is "a comprehensive survey of painting, sculpture, architecture and crafts, their methods, styles and technical terms, from the earliest times to the present day." It contains "192 plates in full color and 416 illustrations in monochrome." It is categorized into sections by geographic location, art form, artist's name, and school of art. It has extensive information on the history of art.

A Visual Dictionary of Art
This dictionary contains entries, articles, and essays concerning a number of areas in the study of art complete with example images. The information presented ranges in time from Paleolithic art to art of the 20th Century. Many different schools of art are represented in this work, including romanticism, baroque, realism, impressionism, etc. Also, art information is presented by geographic area, from the U.S. in the West to Japan in the East.

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Bibliography

Art Index
The Art Index series contains a list of periodicals indexed within, as well as a cumulative author and subject index to periodicals received. The entries are categorized by the artist's name, subject, or geographic location. Each volume covers a specified amount of time from 1929 to 1999.

Arts in America: A Bibliography
This work contains a list of books on various subjects in the field of art. The subjects covered include Art of the Native Americans, Architecture, Decorative Arts, Design, Sculpture, Art of the West, 17-20th Century Painting, Graphic Arts, Photography, Film, Theater, Dance, Music, Serials and Periodicals, Dissertations and Theses, and Visual resources. The fourth volume contains an index by subject and author for the first three volumes.

Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks
This guide is a listing of resources divided into two parts. Part I lists Reference works, such as bibliographies, library catalogs, indexes, dictionaries and encyclopedias, and directories. Part II deals with histories and handbooks on the subjects of prehistoric and primitive art, periods of Western art history, national histories and handbooks of European art, Oriental art, New World art, and art of Africa and Oceania.

Women Artists in the United States
This resource is "a selective bibliography and resource guide on the fine and decorative arts" covering the years from 1750 to 1986. "It provides access to the art historical literature documenting the unique circumstances--social, historical, and ideological--from which women's art forms emerged." It has information on women's art organizations and galleries, artists' organizations, alternative spaces, galleries, and artists' support organizations.

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Biography

Artists of the American West
This work lists 300 artists of the American West from the 1800s and into the early 1900s. All entries provide information about the life dates and places the artists were born and operated from. Many of them also contain a good deal of biographical information on the artists presented.

Contemporary Artists
This resource has entries that include "a biography; a list of individual exhibitions; a selection of up to 10 group exhibitions; a listing of those public galleries and museums that have the work of the entrant in their permanent collection (again, up to a limit of 10); and a bibliography of books and articles by and about the entrant. As well, living entrants have been invited to make a statement on their work or on contemporary art in general, and to choose a photograph of a representative work. Critical texts have been provided by 125 contributors."

Dictionary of American Artists 19th and 20th Century
The dictionary is basically a directory containing "names, addresses, and biographical notes of painters, sculptors, illustrators, and sketchers." The biographical notes are very concise, but they do contain information about awards received and other vital information.

The Dictionary of Art
"The Dictionary of Art is the most comprehensive work on art and culture ever published. A sample of its contents includes: 20,000 biographies; chronological surveys of the art and architecture of every country in the world; in-depth articles on cultures and civilizations part and present; information about 1,500 archaeological sites and 1,350 cities; discussions of styles and movements in art and architecture; detailed information about artist materials and their uses; articles on forms, themes, and subject-matter in art and architecture; as well as discussions of theoretical issues and entries covering the development of all forms of the decorative arts."

Dictionary of Women Artists
This dictionary contains biographical information on "more than 21,000 women painters, sculptors, printmakers, and illustrators born before 1900." American Artists (1st Floor, Reference 709.22 A51a)This work contains biographical information on a thousand American artists in the 20th century. Also, it includes several example images from these artists.

Encyclopedia of World Art
"The subject matter of the Encyclopedia consists of the representational arts in the broadest sense, that is, architecture, sculpture, and painting, and every other man-made object thatenters the filed of esthetic judgment because of its form or decoration." This work houses a vast amount of information in the study of art in general. Subjects covered include art history, culture, schools, artists of major importance, impact on religion and society, and art materials and techniques.

Folk Artists Biographical Index
This is "a guide to over 200 published sources of information on approximately 9,000 American folk artists from the seventeenth century to the present, including brief biographical information; a full bibliography of sources cited; art locator, ethnicity, geographic, media, and type of work indexes; and a directory of nearly 300 institutions where the works of the artists are located."

International Dictionary of Art and Artists
This dictionary is arranged in two volumes. The first "lists in alphabetical order the most important artists from the 13th to 20th centuries." Each entry includes facts about the career of the artist, a list of collections of his work, a bibliography, and a critical essay about the work of each artist. The second volume "discusses some 500 individual works of art, arranged in roughly chronological order."

Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth-century American Folk art and Artists
This encyclopedia contains biographical information on 257 modern day folk artists. Each entry contains a section on biographical data, general background, artistic background, art subjects and sources, materials and techniques, and artistic recognition for all of the artists presented.

Who was Who in American Art
This source was "compiled from the original thirty volumes of the American Art Annual." The nearly 25,000 biographical entries here cover artists who were active from 1898 to 1947 in any number of areas within the field of visual arts.

 

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Drawings

How to find books on drawings at Owens Library
Type of Search	Search Examples
Browse the 3rd Floor Collection	741.94 call number range - Check the same call number range in the Quarto and Folio section of the 3rd Floor
Search the library catalog by subject	Drawing Human Figure in Art
Search the library catalog by keyword	Copy and paste the following search into the keyword search form: s:drawing
Search the library catalog by keyword, limiting to time period, country, or region	Copy and paste the following searches into the keyword search form or Ask a Librarian how to modify these searches to get a result more relevant to your needs: s:drawing and renaissance s:drawing and 19th s:drawing and ital* s:drawing and europ*
Search the library catalog by keyword, limiting to a specific artist	Copy and paste the following searches into the keyword search form or Ask a Librarian how to modify these searches to get a result more relevant to your needs: s:drawing and michelangelo s:michelangelo
Search all Missouri college and university libraries for books	Go to the MOBIUS catalog and use the search strategies listed above. To find books about portrait drawing use the following search: s:portrait drawing Use REQUEST to have the book you want delivered to the Owens Library Services Desk in 3-5 days.

Great Drawings of All Time
This four volume set contains examples of master drawings from various artists and time periods. Volume one contains master drawings from Italy. Volume 2 presents master drawings that are of German, Flemish, or Dutch origin. Volume 3 has examples from the French drawing tradition. Volume 4 includes master drawings of oriental, Spanish, English, American, and contemporary origin. Many drawings represented in this set are portrait drawings.

World's Greatest Figure Drawings
This volume has many fine examples of figure drawings from European sources throughout recorded history.

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All quoted material is from the respective source

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