LibGuides: AR 250 Prehistoric Art to Gothic Art: Encyclopedias, Guides and Dictionaries

Titles in the Library

The Oxford dictionary of American art and artists
Call Number: N6505 .M59 2007 (Reference Collection)
The Grove encyclopedia of classical art and architecture
Call Number: N5610 .G76 2007 V.1 & V.2 (Reference Collection)

Gardner's Art Through the Ages
Call Number: N5300 .G25 2005 (Reference Collection)

Biographical Dictionary of Artists
Covering over 1300 artists, this comprehensive and detailed reference source will be of great value to anyone researching art and its history. The dictionary is made up of alphabetically arranged entries for painters (such as Monet), architects (such as Aalto), and sculptors (such as Brancusi) from pre-Christian times to the present (see, for example, Berlin painter, Hockney).

The Bloomsbury Guide to Art by Shearer West
Provides a fascinating insight into the origins and significance of the work of Western artists and architects. It includes tightly-focused entries on: individual artists (eg Salvador Dali); art, architecture and design terminology (eg Gothic); countries and their cultural significance (eg Art in France); theoretical concepts (eg formalism); and mythological and religious subjects and symbols (eg Christ). There are also contextualized entries on important individual works of art (eg The Haywain).
Critical Terms for Art History by Robert S. Nelson and Richard Shiff
Offers a spirited reassessment of art history's methods and terminology.
The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Art Terms by Edward Lucie-Smith
An essential reference work embracing the vast vocabulary of art in all its forms. Contains over 2000 authoritative entries. Covers painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, the decorative, applied and graphic arts from all periods throughout the world up to the present day: there is even a table of the dynasties of Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, China, India and Japan.