ARTH 347 - Great Masters' Materials and Techniques: Home

This guide provides recommended research tools and skills for your ARTH 347 research assignments.

The Triumph of Fame, Flemish tapestry ca. 1502. Via metmuseum.org

If you need basic ideas and keywords, start with an encyclopedia or textbook first. Note down any useful leads, then use this for further research.

Image databases are also a good source of initial ideas and inspiration. You can browse images by location, time period, and type of art.

Use scholarly sources for your final bibliography and for in-depth analysis and insights.

The attached brainstorming worksheet may give you some ideas.

When analyzing a work of art, it's helpful to develop and apply a list of relevant questions. Consider:

• Subject matter - What is being depicted? (May require researching a related place, figure or event - e.g. from religion or mythology)
• Material and form - What is the size, shape, line, texture, color, etc.? How do these affect the way you "see" the subject?
• Social and historical contexts - When, where, and why was the work made?
• What were the artist's intentions (if known)?

Barnet's A Short Guide to Writing About Art provides many useful examples of analytical questions and is a required/recommended text for most Art History courses.

If you would like in-depth help with research, make an appointment with your librarian by completing the online form at the link below: