Subject Guides: Art & Architectural History: Studying for Art History

Citation Help

Citation Help & Academic Honesty
How to cite using MLA, APA, & Chicago, plus links to other citation styles. Information on how to avoid problems with plagiarism.

Introductory Sources for Art History

Listed below are fundamental texts for beginners in art historical study. The following books give examples and recommendations on how to write using the Chicago Manual of Style along with basic introductions to the theories and methodologies used in the discipline of Art History.

Short Guide to Writing about Art by Barnet
Publication Date: 2005
Teaches students to analyze pictures (drawings, paintings, photographs), sculptures and architecture, and prepares them with the tools they need to present their ideas in effective writing.
Methods and Theories of Art History by Anne D'Alleva
Call Number: N380 .D35 2012
Publication Date: 2012
This book provides an accessible introduction to the range of critical theories used in analyzing art. It covers a broad range of approaches, presenting individual arguments, controversies, and divergent perspectives. Clearly written, this book is ideal for the undergraduate student or anyone interested in the world of ideas.
Art History by Michael Hatt; Charlotte Klonk
Call Number: N7480 .H38 2006
Publication Date: 2006
Unique in its approach, by applying the different theories used in art history to one painting, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon An ideal text for teaching, it provides a lively and stimulating introduction to methodological debates within the subject Offers a lucid account of approaches from Hegel to post-colonialism by explaining the philosophical and political assumptions behind each approach using clear examples Offers a sense of art history's own history as a discipline, from its emergence in the late-eighteenth century to contemporary practices

Formal Analysis

Sylvan Barnet describes the formal analysis as "the result of looking closely...an analysis of the form the artist produces; that is, an analysis of the work of art, which is made up of such things as line, shape, color, texture, mass, composition."
A Short Guide to Writing About Art, 10th ed. (New York: Pearson, 2011), 46.

Conducting a formal (visual) analysis is a useful exercise that can assist you in looking and understanding a work of art. By breaking down a work's formal elements, you might find insight into the artist's creative process. Often times a formal analysis will aid you in identifying a starting point for discussion by using descriptions of the work's line, shape, color, texture, or composition. Below are some helpful links that describe in further detail how to conduct a formal analysis.

Short Guide to Writing about Art by Barnet
Publication Date: 2005
Teaches students to analyze pictures (drawings, paintings, photographs), sculptures and architecture, and prepares them with the tools they need to present their ideas in effective writing.

Study Tip - Use ARTstor to create study guides or presentations!

ARTstor This link opens in a new window
Digital library of more than one million images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and social sciences. Includes access to JSTOR Forum. For assistance, contact Colleen Hailey.
For more detailed information about ARTstor's collections, see What's in ARTstor. Note: This resource will return the number of hits if it is fewer than 200. Otherwise, it will report 'Hits were found'. In either case, a link to results is provided.

ARTstor is not only a valuable tool for finding images. It also has a feature that allows you to import your saved images into a Power Point. Once imported into Power Point you can use the notes field to write about each work. This comes in handy for presentations and when you need to study for exams!