General Information
- Looking at Asian Art byCall Number: N7337 .L67 2012Chicago: Center for the Art of East Asia, University of Chicago: Art Media Resources, c2012. Essays on various aspects of Asian art from a 2008 symposium.
- Timeline of Art HistoryA chronological, geographical and thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world extending from prehistory to the present day, as illustrated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Encyclopedias
- Japan : an illustrated encyclopedia byCall Number: DS805 .J263 19932v. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1993. A comprehensive source of information on Japanese society, history, and culture. Includes color illustrations, feature articles, pictorial essays and a reader's guide with maps and bibliography.
- Oxford art online This link opens in a new windowGateway to the Grove Art Online and other Oxford art reference resources with more than 23,000 subject entries, 21,000 biographies, and 40,000 image links.
Encyclopedia of China by Call Number: DS705 .P47 1999New York: Facts on File, c1999. More than 1,000 entries explore all aspects of China's past, present and future, with essay-length entries on places, religions, art, history, and more. Includes photographs and illustrations and an extensive system of cross-references.
Art Terminology
- A Dictionary of Japanese art terms = Wa-Ei taishoÌ„ Nihon bijutsu yoÌ„go jiten : bilingual byCall Number: N7350 .D548 1990Tōkyō: Tōkyō Bijutsu, 1990. Standard disctionary of 4300 Japanese art terms organized alphabetically by romanized version followed by a short explanation. Book includes a chronological table of Japanese art on p.690-93.
- Dictionary of Chinese and Japanese Art byCall Number: N7340 .M818 1981New York: Hacker Art Books, 1981. Defines more than 2400 terms including artist's names, techniques, places, religious and mythological terms, art objects, and styles.
- JAANUSA dictionary of Japanese architecture and art history terminology with 8000 terms related to traditional Japanese architecture and gardens, painting, sculpture and art-historical iconography from approximately the 1st century A.D. to the end of the Edo period (1868). It is searchable in English and romanized Japanese, and has linked cross references.
Artists' Biographies
Modern Chinese Artists by Call Number: N7348 .S85 2006Berkeley: University of California Press, c2006. Includes nearly 1,800 Chinese artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Oxford art online This link opens in a new windowGateway access to Grove Art Online and other Oxford art reference resources. Includes more than 23,000 subject entries and 21,000 biographies.
- Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art byCall Number: N7350 .B448 1981Tokyo; New York: Kodansha International Ltd. in collaboration with the International Society for Educational Information, 1981. Includes 863 biographical entries arranged by medium. Each topical area has an introductory essay and each biographical entry includes the surname, personal name, dates, a basic biographical sketch, description of style and major works, and the location of one or two representative works.
- Modern Korean artists byCall Number: N7365.6 .M63 2009Seoul: Korea Foundation, c2009. A compilation of articles about contemporary artists from the quarterly magazine Koreana (2000-2008).
- Benezit Dictionary of Asian ArtistsCall Number: N7260 .B38 2012The Benezit Dictionary of Artists is the largest, most up-to-date compendium of artists' biographies in the English language. The dictionary is a standard reference work for art research and is known for its coverage of lesser-known artists, images of artists' signatures, and inclusion of auction sale records.
Textbooks
Art History by Call Number: N5300 .S923 20145th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. A global history of art from prehistoric times to the present. Although Western visual art and architecture receive the most attention, there is extensive coverage of India, China, Japan, Africa, Islamic art, and Pacific cultures. Stokstad is an emeritus Distinguished Professor of Art History at the Univ. of Kansas.
Gardner's Art Through the Ages by Call Number: N5300 .G25 201314th ed. Australia; United States: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, c2013. An introductory textbook to art history with four chapters devoted to China, Japan and Korea.
Asian Art by Call Number: N7260 .N38 2015Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2014. Illuminates the rich history of Asian Art from ancient times to the present.
A History of Far Eastern Art by Call Number: N7336 .L43 19945th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall; New York: H.N. Abrams, 1994. Covers a vast amount of cultures and time periods in an integrated approach with organization by chronology and theme rather than geography.- Art and Architecture in China byCall Number: N7340 .S46 1971Harmondsworth, Eng: Penguin Books 1971, 1978 printing. Covers almost 4000 years of artistic evolution from the Shang Dynasty to the end of the Ch'ing in the 20th century.
A History of Art in 20th Century China by Call Number: N7345 .L77813 2010Milano; New York: Charta, c2010. Traces the development of Chinese art in the last century not only in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong but also in important expat centers like Paris and Tokyo.
History of Japanese Art by Call Number: N7350 .M26 20052nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, c2005. A comprehensive, extensively-illustrated, detailed overview of Japanese art from the Joman period (10,500 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E.) through World War II.
A History of Japanese Art by Call Number: N7350 .T73 2009North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Pub., c2009. A comprehensive view of Japanese art through Japanese eyes along with a guide to the places in Japan where the best and most representative creations of Japanese art are to be seen.
Korea by Call Number: N7360 .P67 2000New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, c2000. A fully illustrated chronological account of the arts and archaeology of Korea from the Neolithic to the 20th century.
DVDs & Streaming Videos
The KU Libraries are actively collecting DVDs and Streaming Videos.
Use the Library Catalog to search for DVDs or go to the Art & Architecture Library and browse the DVDs. Library DVDs are usually available to be checked out for 1 week. Here is a sample of what's available in the Art & Architecture Library - Video/DVD collection:
- Great Tales in Asian Art82 min. Four beloved stories of India, Indonesia, Korea, and Japan are told through masterpieces of visual art and the stirring performances these tales have inspired for centuries.
- Byodo-in Temple, Heavenly Architecture49 min. Follows the restoration of one of the world’s most outstanding structures, the Byodoin Temple, in Kyoto.
- Chinese Contemporary Art: Artists Working in China58 min. Features modern Chinese artists discussing their innovative, experimental and challenging art.
Use the Guide to Streaming Videos to learn what is available at KU as well as how to use the films in your classes. Some examples of East Asian art videos include:
- Ancient Treasures: Imperial Art of China13 min. with 3 segments. Correspondent Paul Solman and art historian Wen Fong visit an exhibit that is emblematic of Imperial China from the 8th century to the 17th.
- Beijing 798: The Chinese Avant-Garde1 hr 33 min. with 7 segments. Profiles Chinese painters and sculptors who work at 798 and have helped turn Beijing into one of the world’s artistic capitals.
Writing & Citing
- Writing about ArtPrepared by Marjorie Munsterberg of City College, New York, and intended to help students improve their ability to write about visual things.
A Short Guide to Writing about Art by Call Number: N7476 .B37 201110th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, c2011. Useful guide that is now in its 10th edition. Shows how to analyze art and suggests tools needed for effective writing.
- Chicago manual of style online This link opens in a new window16th ed. The style guide primarily used in humanities fields such as art history.