College of DuPage Library

Reference Books

Confused about your topic, or not sure where to begin? Start here! Reference books are written to give you a good general overview of a topic. Print reference works are for in-library use only; ebooks can be viewed on and off campus if you have a current COD library card. The reference section is on the first floor of the library, behind the staircase. You can use the catalog or Reference Universe to find both print and electronic reference books.

• 30,000 Years of Art - N5300 .A14 2015
  • This little book is a huge timeline of art, from prehistory to contemporary! Each page contains a color photo of an artwork, the bibliographic information, and a short article. Each entry is color coded on the bottom edge of the page depending on the continent the work originated from. There is a smaller timeline of just text at the end, before the index.
  • See “Early Renaissance” in the index, pg 647
  • See “High Renaissance” in the index, pg 649
  • See “Northern Renaissance” in the index, pg 652
• Arts & Humanities Through the Eras - NX440 .A787 2005
  • This set has 5 volumes dedicated to different eras. Topics covered include music, fashion, architecture, visual arts, theater, and much more! Each book has an era overview, chronology, and table of contents at the beginning of each book and each chapter. Also included are black and white photos, maps, and illustrations; a bibliography after each entry; glossary; and index.
  • See Volume 4: “Renaissance Europe"
• The Encyclopedia of Sculpture - NB198 .E53 2004
  • This encyclopedia contains longer articles on sculptors, famous works, works by period, style, and country/continent, and materials and techniques. There is a table of contents in the first volume by both alphabet and theme, with the index in the last volume. Also featured are black and white photos and a bibliography after each entry.
  • See “Renaissance” Volume 2, pgs 1410-18
• Grove Dictionary of Art - N31 .D5 1996
  • This is an older resource, but one of the most comprehensive art resources there is. The articles and biographies are a little longer, and features black and white photos and illustrations, maps, and an index. Also part of Oxford Art Online!
  • See “Renaissance” Volume 26, pgs 182-9
• Icons of Beauty: Art, Culture, and the Image of Women - N7630 .M25 2010
  • Historical record of how women are treated and portrayed in art throughout the centuries. Good long articles with great cross-indexing cover the history and method of works discussed, and related works. Features a table of contents in both volumes; black and white and color photos; bibliography; and index.
  • See Volume 1, Chapter 7, “Inspiring Beauty: Titian, Pastoral Concert (Concert Champêtre) (1510)”
• The Oxford Companion to to Western Art - N33 .O923 2001
  • Oxford is one of the premier publishers for art and architecture. This book offers concise articles on Western art movements, artists, and art history. Also available in e-book.
  • See “Renaissance” pgs 624-7

Circulating Books

These are books you can check out! They can get more specific than reference books and are located on the second floor of the library. You can search the catalog before going up or click the box below to see the call numbers for art books so you can browse the shelves. If you find a book while searching that looks awesome but that we don't own, you can submit an inter-library loan request through I-Share and another library will send you the book for free! You will need a COD library card to check books out.

• Art in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1500 - N6915 .W45 2000
  • An Oxford publication which puts art in context with all aspects of life during the Renaissance. Features a table of contents; black and white and color photos and maps; a timeline; bibliography; and index.
• Art Past, Art Present - N5300 .W64 1997
  • A world look at art in chronological order from ancient to publication in 1997. The chapters are short, basically an overview of each art period, with a timeline at the end of each chapter. Features a table of contents; black and white and color photos and maps; bibliography; index; and glossary.
• Italian Renaissance Painting - ND 615 .B43 1999
  • A chronological survey of famous artists of the Renaissance, complete with biographies of the artists; critique, evolution, and examples of their work; and context within the greater movement. There is a short annotation after each photo’s bibliographic information. Features a table of contents; color photos and maps; a glossary; bibliography; and index.
• Renaissance - N6370 .M38 2008
  • Gives a chronological look at the Renaissance before examining prevalent themes in the art. Gives short essay before going to lots of picture examples; each work has an annotation as well as bibliographic information. Features a table of contents; color photos; a timeline; bibliography; and index.
• Sixteenth-Century Italian Art - N6915 .S62 2006
  • A compilation of scholarly articles about different aspects of Renaissance art, great for writing papers. Features a table of contents; black and white photos; a bibliography after each essay; and an index.
• Sculpture of the World: A History - NB60 .C55 1968
  • A chronological view of sculpture from primitive and ancient to the 1960’s. Features a table of contents; black and white photos and maps; bibliography; and index.

Databases and Websites

All these are web resources that the COD library has subscribed to or that have been gathered from the internet that are helpful for this topic!

Databases - Best Bets

Below are library databases where you can access journal articles and other content. Most of these may be accessed from off-campus, but you must have a COD library card to do so.

Some suggested keywords and subject terms to use when searching for articles on this subject are:
- "Renaissance"
- “Renaissance art”
- “Renaissance architecture”
- Try searching by your favorite Renaissance artist, too!

• Academic OneFile
  • Contains nearly 13,000 indexed journals, newspapers, and magazines, most peer reviewed and many full-text. The research is very current, not much historical content, but there are a wide range of topics covered. There's a really cool topic finder on the search results page, which gives you keywords related to your search! You have the option to save, download, or email the text or MP3 of the article, and you can make a free account to highlight and make notes on the article within the database.
• Academic Search Complete
  • Contains over 9000 journals, about 7000 of which are full-text. Some journals go back to 1880’s so you can get historical and recent publications on any given topic. There are plenty of options to narrow your search and to save and cite your article.
• Art & Architecture Complete
  • Similar to Academic Search Complete except it contains only art-specific publications! If you're looking for the subject browsing function, it's titled Thesaurus.
• Artstor
  • Find images of artworks that can be used in papers and presentations! You can search or browse by geography, media, or museum/gallery collections. Make a free account to save, organize, cite, or export images. Take a look through their subject guides to get ideas for your next project! See the Artstor Quick Start Guide for tips on using this resource.
• Oxford Art Online
  • An art major's best friend. This database includes the full text of Grove Art Online, the Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Your one-stop shop for scholarly articles, biographies, and definitions of all things art-related.

Websites

These resources were compiled from the internet. No library card required!

• The Getty - Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance
  • These are resources from a past exhibition at the Getty. Here there are articles and interactive modules that went with the exhibition.
• Google Art Project
  • The Google Art Project is the result of a partnership with museums and galleries to put the art online for free! You can search and browse by museum, collection, artist, or artwork. If you have a Google account, you can create your own "gallery" so you can save and categorize your favorite artwork.
• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History - Renaissance Art
  • Links to the "keyword" feature of the Timeline, which lists all the essays, artworks, and timeline with the "Renaissance Art" tag. Curated by the Met.
• Virtual Uffizi Gallery
  • The Uffizi in Florence is a famous museum containing Florentine Renaissance art. You can virtually tour the gallery, browse the collection, read artist bios, and even discover more museums.
• The Walter’s Art Museum - Renaissance Europe
  • Browse through the Renaissance Europe collection at the Walter’s Art Museum in Baltimore. There is a really cool slider that goes through the pages! Hovering over a picture will give you a quick overview of object, and clicking on will take you to the full bibliographic record, where you can explore the object by zooming in and clicking different views.