LibGuides: Art, Design, and Art History: Writing About Art

Writing about Art - Book Sources

Writing about art is very different from writing other research papers. You must first and foremost understand the terms and concepts surrounding artworks, like understanding elements of picture space, balance, emphasis, etc. Only then can you translate what you see of the artwork into a verbal discussion, using the descriptors as a tool in analyzing its meaning. Here are some guides to get you started.

A Short Guide to Writing About Art by Sylvan Barnet
Call Number: N7476 .B37 2005 Ref
The Library has this 2008 edition as well as an earlier edition of this book, but as of July 2010, does not carry the 2010 edition.
Learning to Look at Paintings by Mary Acton
Call Number: ND1143 .A38 1997
Though not the latest edition, this 1997 edition proves very helpful in teaching students to analyze paintings with over ninety examples.
Learning to Look at Modern Art by Mary Acton
Call Number: N7477 .A27 2004
This guide teaches students to analyze and appreciate modern and postmodern art.

Citing Images
In academic work, images should be followed by and attribution or in text citation whether that be in a note or caption immediately following the image or at the bottom of a presentation slide. A full citation should be found in your Works Cited or Reference List, though you might separate them out into an Image Credit List, depending on the style of citation you are using.