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ARTH 278 : Survey of Asian Art

Getting Started with Art History Research

Look at the Art:

  • Take time to observe the object and make notes about its formal properties

Learn more about it:

  • Look at introductory resources such as museum or gallery websites or art encyclopedias to find biographical information about the artist and/or contextual information about your object

Collect Sources through Research:

  • Find Books: search PRIMO for your artist's name, art movements, and other related concepts to your object
  • Find Articles: Search journal databases for your artists' name, movement, period, style, medium and other context keywords for articles related to your object
  • Find Images: Include images of your object in your paper or presentation. Look at other works by your artist, objects of the same style/period, or pieces containing similar subject matter to strengthen your argument by comparing related objects

Write and Cite:

  • Include a formal analysis describing the physical properties and visual experience of your object
  • Provide contextual analysis of your object by examining its subject matter, function, and cultural / historical significance
  • Cite all quotes, paraphrased references and images used in your paper or presentation; Ask your instructor about what style to use

adapted from West Chester University Libraries

Analyzing a Work of Art

As you view a work of art, ask yourself these questions:

  • What is my response to the work?
  • What is the title? Does it help explain the work?
  • How do the visual elements (line, color, space, texture) contribute to the work? What about the design (proportion, balance, unity/variety, rhythm)?
  • When, where, and why was the work made? By whom?
  • What is the subject matter?
  • What medium is used?

For more information about formal analysis, see The Art of Writing about Art and A Short Guide to Writing about Art and Writing about Art (ebook).

Tips on Using SAAM's Catalog

On the Seattle Art Museum Collections site, search within the Asian Art collection, and use the filters to narrow your results under Artist/Maker/Culture and/or Classification/Category.

Once you've selected an artwork, look for a bibliography associated with an image to find secondary sources for your museum paper.

Then, search Primo for the source.

Example of a book cited in a bibliography about Sakyamuni Descending the Mountain:

Examples of an article citation about Sakyamuni Descending the Mountain: