Article Databases

Journal articles are not listed in QCAT. Use a database to find magazine and journal articles. Articles are important in your research as they contain the most-up-to-date research in a given field and often focus on a particular aspect of a topic. There are different types of articles: scholarly, popular or trade.

Tip: Remember to search journal title and not article title in QCAT

Major Databases for Art, Architecture and Art History

Major Databases for Art Conservation

More Article Indexes and Databases for Art Conservation >>

Other Databases for Art

All Databases for Art >>

Books

To find books and exhibition catalogues on a topic, search QCAT by author, title, subject heading, or keyword.

To find books by a particular author/person, search QCAT by author: To find books about a particular author/person, search QCAT by subject heading: To find books on a topic, use a keyword boolean search if you do not know the correct subject heading for a topic. Think of the focus (or key) words that describe your topic. Select useful titles and look at the Subjects provided on the Basic View or Full View records. Examples of subject headings relating to Art: To find information in particular formats on a topic, look for a subdivision following a subject heading:

Biographical Dictionaries

Grove Art Online
Online

Web access to The Dictionary of Art (N31 .D5 1996t, 33 vols. SL Compact Shelving). A comprehensive encyclopaedia for the history of the visual arts, including bio-bibliographical information.

Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon
N40 .A63 1991: 1991- (Art Collection)

Biographies and bibliographies of artists worldwide, from antiquity to today.

Biographical dictionary of women artists in Europe and America since 1850 (Dunford)
N6757 .D86 1990t (SL Reference Collection)

Biographical index of artists in Canada (McMann)
N6548 .M29 2003 (SL Reference Collection)

Bryan's dictionary of painters and engravers
N40 .B9 1964 (Art Collection)

The standard universal English dictionary of artists.

Contemporary artists (Naylor)
N6490 .C6567 1989 (SL Reference Collection; 1977 ed. in Art Collection)

Single volume source on approximately 1700 artists; lists of works; some illustrations.

Contemporary Canadian artists
N6548 .M65 1997t (Art Collection)

Contemporary women artists (Hillstrom)
N8354 .C66 1999 (SL Reference Collection)

Dictionary of Canadian artists (Macdonald)
N6548 .M172. 7 vols. A to F of 5th ed., 1997, more to come. Published 1967-1990. (Art Collection)

Historical and contemporary.

Dictionary of women artists (Gaze)
N8354 .D53 1997 2 vols. (SL Reference Collection)

Dictionary of women artists : an international dictionary of women artists born before 1900 (Petteys)
N43 P47 1985 (Art Collection)

Dictionary of women in religious art (Apostolos-Cappadona)
N7793 .W65 A66 1998 (SL Reference Collection)

Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays (Benezit)
N40 .B47 1999 14 vols. (Art Collection)

After Thieme-Becker, the most useful dictionary of artists.

Early painters and engravers in Canada (J. Russell Harper)
N6548 .H3 (Art Collection, SL Reference, LP Collection)

First nation artists in Canada
E98 .A7 A16t 2001 (SL Reference)

International dictionary of art and artists
N31 .I57. 2 vols. 1990 (Art Collection)

This work covers the 13th-20th centuries.

Kindlers Malerei Lexicon
ND30 .K54 6 vols. (Art Collection)

Brief biographies of painters; comprehensive; many coloured illustrations.

The new A to Z of Canadian art (B. McKendry)
N6540 .M155 2001 (Art Collection)

North American women artists of the twentieth century : a biographical dictionary (Heller)
N6503 .N67 1995 (SL Reference Collection)

Thieme-Becker Kunstlerlexikon
N40 .T43. Published 1907-50. 37 vols. (Art Collection)

Full title is: Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler...by U. Thieme and F. Becker. International, ancient to modern times. Brief biographies, scholarly, comprehensive, especially good for obscure artists. Lists of artists' works with dates. No illustrations. Supplemented by:

Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kuenstler des xx. Jahrhunderts (Hans Vollmer)
N40 .V92 1953-62. 6 vols.(Art Collection)

Continues coverage of artists in 20th century.

Le vite de' piu eccellenti pittori, scultori ed architettori ...(Vasari)
N6922 .V3. Several editions; multi-volumes. (Art Collection)

Originally published ca. 1550 and 1568. Includes biographies of Italian Renaissance artists. Italian; English translations.

Encyclopedias

Dictionary of Art.
N31.D5.1996t. 33 vols. (Stauffer Library - Compact Shelving)
Grove Art Online

Comprehensive coverage of history of visual arts worldwide, prehistory to present.

Enciclopedia dell'arte antica.
N31.E48 9 vols. (Art Collection)

Antiquity, many illustrations.

Encyclopedia of world art.
N31.E567. Published 1958-78. 17 vols.(Art Collection)

International, ancient to modern. Survey articles and bibliographies, scholarly. Many illustrative plates.

Propylaeen-Kunstgeschichte.
N5300.P895. Published 1966-1977. 18 vols. (Art Collection)

International, ancient to modern. Many illustrations.

Historical Surveys

Dictionary of Art.
N31.D5.1996t. 33 vols. (Stauffer Library - Compact Shelving)
Grove Art Online

Comprehensive coverage of history of visual arts worldwide, prehistory to present.

History of art. (Janson)
N5300.J3 various eds. (Art Collection)

Standard art history survey text, overview, well illustrated.

Oxford history of English art.
N6761.O9. 1952-78. 11 vols. (Art Collection)

Each volume covers different period, ancient to modern. Includes bibliographies and illustrations.

Pelican history of art.
Series of 45 or more volumes, with individual call numbers, approx. 1953-1995. Search series title in QCAT and resort by title or date (Art Collection)

Each volume covers different period, school of art, from ancient to modern. Includes bibliographies and illustrations.

Iconography

Index of Christian Art
Online

Important archive of medieval iconography.

Attributs et symboles dans l'art profane, 1450-1600.
N7740.T4. 1958, 1964 suppl. (Art Collection & SL Reference)

Barockthemen. (Pigler).
N6410.P5. 1956. 2 vols.(Art Collection)

Dictionary of subjects and symbols in art. (Hall)
N7560 .H34 1979b. (SL Reference)

Encyclopedia of themes and subjects in painting. (Daniel)
ND1288 .D3. 1971 (SL Reference)

Iconographie de l'art chretien. (Reau)
N7830 .R37 1955-59. 3 vols. (Art Collection)

Iconography of Christian art. (Schiller) 1971-72. vols. 1-2, English translation of Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst.
N7830 .S35I32 (Art Collection)

Well illustrated. Search for vols. 3-5 under German title above or call number N7830 .S35 (Art Collection)

Lexikon der christlichen Ikonographie.
BV150.L4 1968-76. 8 vols.(SL Reference)

Signs and symbols in Christian art. (Ferguson)
N7830.F3 (1959 ed. in Art Collection & SL Reference; 1961 ed. in SL Reference)

Websites

Browse our recommended Art websites by topic:

Research Strategy for Art

Research Strategy - checklist

1. Think of keywords or concepts to define your topic.
2. Find background information by looking up concepts in dictionaries, encyclopaedias, bibliographies, catalogues, etc.
3. Read Course Reserve material and follow up on references.
4. Search QCAT by Author, Title, Keyword(s), and Subjects for books, journals, audio-visual materials, exhibition catalogues, theses, government documents.
5. Search Art-related Indexes & Databases for appropriate journal articles. Check QCAT under Journal Title to see if Queen's has the journal in print or electronically. Follow up on article references.
6. Search for journal articles in interdisciplinary databases related to your topic. For ex: CBCA or Canadian Newsstand for Canadian art coverage, Digital Dissertations, Women's Studies International, etc.
7. Select and evaluate WWW Resources, many of which have been provided through Art World Links and other QUL web pages.
8. Analyze, and evaluate your sources, write and edit your paper, and not least, document your sources as you find them in order to compile your bibliography. Begin research early to order necessary articles through Document Delivery & ILL (RACER).
9. Don't forget you can always ask a Reference Librarian for help.

Find Background Information

• Search QCAT for the artist's name as author or subject (last name, space, first initial), or as keyword (place name in direct order between quotes, or search first and last name separated by and) to see if the Library has exhibition catalogues or art historical materials containing the artist's work
• Use bio-bibliographical indexes to artists e.g. Grove Art Online . Connect to Biographical Dictionaries for a list of other index suggestions
• Search QCAT for topics by art form, style, country and/or time period under appropriate subject headings or keyword combinations. Information about artists may also appear in un-indexed anthologies under these types of headings. For example:
  • Art, Abstract
  • Art, Baroque
  • Art, Italian--17th century
  • Impressionism--Art

For Interpretation, Criticism, and Analysis

• For critical essays and art criticism in general, search "Art Criticism" as a subject in QCAT
• Search appropriate journal indexes by artist, topic (subject/keyword), art form/style, geographic place, or time period to find articles published in scholarly journals, popular magazines or newspapers - e.g.:
  • AATA Online
  • Art Index
  • ArtBibliographiesModern
  • Bibliography of the History of Art
  • BCIN
  • CBCA: Canadian Business and Current Affairs
  • Gender Studies Database
  • Index of Christian Art
  • ITER

Find Exhibition Catalogues

• Exhibition catalogues are useful visual sources of an artist's work, and sometimes the only source for an image of a work held in a private collection. Over 12,000 exhibition catalogues are accessible through QCAT and found in the Art Collection.
• Search QCAT for exhibition catalogues by keyword, combining terms such as artist's or gallery name, city where exhibition held, school (e.g. Impressionism), form/process (e.g. sculpture), etc. with the truncated word exhibition?.
  • rembrandt and agnes and kingston
  • "jeff wall" and exhibition?
  • installation and exhibition?
• Smaller and non-commercially published exhibition catalogues are shelved in the Art Collection alphabetically by City, Gallery and Date: e.g. Toronto : Art Gallery of Ontario, 1998. Look for this information in the publisher field on QCAT.

Reviews of Exhibitions

• Reviews of exhibitions can be found in art journal article indexes and appropriate newspapers. Some possible newspaper indexes are:
  • CBCA: Canadian Business and Current Affairs (for references to selected Canadian newspapers)
  • Canadian Newsstand (full text stories in selected national and regional Canadian newspapers)
  • Globe & Mail (1844 to within 3-4 years of current date)
  • Factiva (for current Globe & Mail articles)
  • LexisNexis (for national and international full text newspaper coverage)
  • New York Times (1851-2001)
  • Toronto Star (1892- to within 2-3 years of current date)

For Information About Artists

• For biographical information search QCAT under individual's name as a subject, or try general subject headings such as "Painters", "Sculptors" or "Women Artists". Examples:
  • Carr, Emily, 1871-1945
  • Sculptors--Canada--Biography
  • Check Art Research Guide under Biographical Dictionaries
  • Try artist-related websites through Art Websites