East Asian Art Resources: Resources

Basic English-language resources for researching Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art

General Information

Timeline of Art History. A 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

Oxford Art Online. Gateway 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. 

Art Terminology

ArtLex: A Dictionary of Visual Art Terminology. Definitions along with thousands of supporting images, pronunciation notes, quotations and cross-references.

A Dictionary of Japanese Art Terms = Wa-Ei taishoÌ„ Nihon bijutsu yoÌ„go jiten: Bilingual [Japanese & English]. Call Number: N7350 .D548 1990. Tōkyō: 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.

Munsterberg, Hugo. Dictionary of Chinese and Japanese Art. Call Number: N7340 .M818 1981. New York: Hacker Art Books, 1981. Defines more than 2400 terms including artist's names, techniques, places, religious and mythological terms, art objects, and styles.

JAANUS. A 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

Oxford Art Online. Gateway access to Grove Art Online and other Oxford art reference resources. Includes more than 23,000 subject entries and 21,000 biographies.

Textbooks

GENERAL ART HISTORY--ASIA--CHINA--JAPAN--KOREA

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 Art DVDGreat Tales in Asian Art. 82 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 Architecture. 49 min. Follows the restoration of one of the world’s most outstanding structures, the Byodoin Temple, in Kyoto.

Chinese Contemporary Art: Artists Working in China. 58 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 China. 13 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-Garde. 1 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 Art. Prepared by Marjorie Munsterberg of City College, New York, and intended to help students improve their ability to write about visual things.

Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. Call Number: N7476 .B37 2011. 10th 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. 16th ed. The style guide primarily used in humanities fields such as art history.

Easy Writer. Writing manual that includes tips for doing research, documenting sources, recognizing common writing errors, and working online.