Library Guides: Art: Home

Subject Resources

If you're just starting out as an art student, the following resources can help. These books are available at Schewe Library as reference books on the main floor. This means that they cannot be checked out, but you are welcome to use them any time inside the Library:

Atlas of World Art
Call Number: R 709 A881
Publication Date: 2004
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography
Call Number: R 704.9 E56
Publication Date: 1998
The Photography Encyclopedia
Call Number: R 770.3 M134
Publication Date: 1998

To search all of Schewe's databases, use the following:

Illinois College Multidatabase Search

The databases below will be the best bets for starting your research in art. If you are having trouble finding articles, see our Finding Articles guide, or ask a librarian for help!

Artstor This link opens in a new window
This art database includes curated repository of images, with a heavy emphasis on art, architecture and specialized photography collections. Images are royalty-free and usable by students in educational products.
Fine Arts (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window
This music and art database provides access to over 10,000,000 articles sourced over 250 full-text fine arts journals. This database will appeal to students interested in drama, music, art history, and filmmaking.
Metropolitan Museum Online This link opens in a new window
Contains over 400,000 digitized images of works held in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to a basic search, you can also search by date, geography and object type.
New York Public Library Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Contains almost 700,000 images digitized from various New York Public Library collections. The search functionality isn't too fantastic, so try browsing a specific collection for best results.

The best place to find books about art is in the Schewe Library Catalog or in the library on the shelves primarily in the 700 - 709 range on the upper level. If these books are available, you are welcome to check them out with your student ID. If you are having trouble finding more books, see our Finding Books guide. Here are some suggested titles:

Resources for Creating Art

Sculpture: Technique, Form, Content
Call Number: 731.028 W721
Publication Date: 1995
Living Materials: A Sculptor's Handbook
Call Number: 731.2 A568
ISBN: 9780520064522
Publication Date: 1988
3-D Wizardry: Design in Papier-Mâché, Plaster and Foam
Call Number: 731.4 W855
Publication Date: 1995
Working with Clay
Call Number: 738 P4851w
Publication Date: 2009
The Oil Artist's Handbook
Call Number: 751.45 A791
Publication Date: 2003
Understanding Transparent Watercolor
Call Number: 751.422 B868
Publication Date: 1993
Watercolour problems and solutions : a trouble-shooting handbook
Call Number: 751.422 F911
Publication Date: 2002
The Acrylics and Gouache Artist's Handbook
Call Number: 751.426 A791
Publication Date: 2003
Painting portraits : anatomy, proportion, likeness, light composition
Call Number: 757 C988
ISBN: 9780715315507
Publication Date: 2002

Resources for Art History

The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology
Call Number: 701.18 A784
Publication Date: 1998
The Oxford Companion to Western Art
Call Number: 703 O98w
Publication Date: 2001
100 Ideas That Changed Art
Call Number: 709 B618
Publication Date: 2012
Also available as an eBook through our catalog.
Discovering Art History
Call Number: 709 B868
Publication Date: 2007
Art: From Cave Paintings to Street Art
Call Number: 709 F247
Publication Date: 2010
Gardner's Art Through the Ages
Call Number: 709 G227
Publication Date: 1975
Art Beyond the West
Call Number: 709 K15
Publication Date: 2012
Theories of Modern Art
Call Number: 709.04 C541
Publication Date: 1984

You can find reliable and high-quality videos on a variety of topics below:

Kanopy Videos at Schewe Library

You can find reliable and high-quality art videos on the following topics:

Here are some websites which might be helpful for an art student:

Art History with Khan Academy
Free online videos and lessons detailing the global history of art.
Art Institute Chicago Public Domain Collections
Canadian Online Art Book Project
This collection of eBooks from the Art Canada Institute at the University of Toronto provides information about Canadian artists in both English and French.
Europeana Collections
This collection contains over 58 million pieces of art, artifacts, books, films, and music from European sources.
Getty Publications Virtual Library
This is a collection of free digital titles from the Getty Publications Archives.
Google Arts and Culture
A collaboration between Google and art museums and artists around the world, this tool allows you to take virtual tours of museums, view artwork (virtually) up close, and interact with art using your smartphone.
The Guggenheim Museum Collection Online
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
An interactive timeline of art history using objects from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Met Publications on Art History
This collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is filtered to show full text eBooks from the Met.
MoMA Exhibitions
This is a collection of images and documents from exhibitions of the New York Museum of Modern Art from the museum's founding in 1929 to the present.
National Gallery of Art Images
This is a collection of digital images of artwork provided by the U.S. National Gallery of Art. Many of the works displayed are open access, and are available for free download.
Smithsonian Institution Collections
This site allows users to search the Smithsonian Institution's collections online.