Art theory: art criticism,
patronage and iconography
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A good starting point for any art research is the Contemporary Art
Subject Guide on Library Online (click on Resources > For Your Subject
> Contemporary Art). Here you will find links to all of the databases
mentioned below, as well as useful pages such as How Do I Find
Information on...? Art theory and criticism.
Art criticism
The critical context of any art subject, whether it is an artist, a work of art, or
an art movement, can be researched using the same basic method:
Step 1: Books, exhibition catalogues and DVDs
A good book of an artist or an art movement should refer to the work of other
art historians and art critics and have a bibliography for further reading. You
should try to read the opinions of as many people as possible so as not to
receive a biased view of the subject. The exhibition catalogues of major
exhibitions often include lengthy essays by art historians. Art historians also
make television programmes, many of which the Library records and puts into
stock on DVD.
If the subject of your research is an art historian or an art critic, follow the
instructions in the Library guide ‘Artists: how to research an artist’.
Step 2: Information databases
Because of the importance of obtaining a range of different opinions, you
should always use journal articles as well as books. Obviously this is
particularly important if there is only one (or even no) major text on your
subject. There are some important writers on art who only write articles for
journals, and never publish books. Using information databases will help you
find what journal articles have been written on your subject.
Many information databases will also tell you whether there are any more
books on your subject, even if we don’t have them in The Library at Leeds
Metropolitan University.
Art Full Text

On Databases page of Library Online

Covers journals published since 1984. It is an index from 1984-1993; from
1994 onwards it also has abstracts (summaries of content); from 1997 it
Copyright © 2012 The Library
Leeds Metropolitan University
Screenshots reproduced with the permission of the software provider
also links to full text. It covers a wide range of topics in art, architecture
and design. Very good for researching design companies
Art Index Retrospective

On Databases page of Library Online

Covers international art journals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins
including references to reproductions of works of art that appear in cited
publications. Subject areas include art, crafts, interior design, museology,
etc.
JSTOR

On Databases page of Library Online

JSTOR is a digitized journal archive, not a current issues database. It is
regularly updated and has a capacity to search across disciplines. It
covers most areas of the Arts
Discover

On home page of Library Online

Discover is the Library’s search engine that allows you to search across
many Library resources in a single search, including records from the
Library Catalogue and most of our electronic journal and information
databases
Patronage
The above strategy and the same publications can be used to research art
and society. You could also try:
Step 1: Books
In addition to the information in books on your subject, you will find many
books dealing specifically with the social aspects of art. Some will be in the art
section of The Library, and some in the social sciences section; search for
culture on the Library Catalogue. You will also find the history section useful
where there are books on social history.
If you are researching an artist, or a particular work of art, catalogues will give
information about the patronage and function of the work.
If you are researching a patron, including the patronage of a corporate body
like the Arts Council, follow the instructions in the Library guide ‘Artists: how to
research an artist’.
Step 2: Reference books
Dictionaries and encyclopaedias which specialise in an art movement or a
period of art, frequently includes entries for patrons, dealers etc. Examples
are:
A Dictionary of Modern Painting
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
Shelved at 759.0603

This covers the period from the Impressionists to the Second World War.
It includes information on writers and places, such as the Slade School
libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk
Encyclopaedia of the Renaissance

Shelved at 709.031 (reference only)

This is an encyclopaedia of the culture of the Renaissance, not just the
art. It has entries for patrons of art and writers of the period
Phaidon Encyclopedia of Impressionism

Shelved at 759.05

This sets the movement in its context and includes entries for collectors,
patrons, journalists and other writers
The Oxford Companion to Western Art
There is a link to this on the Resources for your Subject pages for
Contemporary Art on Library Online. See What types of information
are available? > Books and ebooks.

There are entries on artists and their works, styles and movements, art
forms and art terms, combined with more modern methodologies, focused
on patronage, taste, theory, and criticism, and the scientific examination of
materials and techniques
Step 3: Newspaper articles
Nexis

On Newspapers page of Library Online

A very useful database for major world newspapers including Asia/Pacific,
European, US, and some regional newspapers
Step 4: Directories
If you are researching the social context of contemporary art, you may find
that the information you need is not yet available in The Library at Leeds
Metropolitan, especially if you are looking for information about an
organisation. If so, you will have to obtain the information directly from the
organisation itself. Use directories to obtain addresses and phone numbers.
The following directory specialises in arts organisations:
International Directory of Arts, 2 vols.

Shelved at 700.25 (in Quick Reference on the ground floor)
Iconography (subjects and symbols)
Analysis of the subject matter of a work of art involves referring to the
symbolism or iconography. Figures, symbols, and objects found in works may
have a meaning specific to the subject, period or religion which forms the
basis of the work.
Step 1: Reference books
There are two kinds of dictionaries of symbols, those that explain what a
symbol means, and those that give several illustrations showing various ways
of depicting the symbol.
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A general introduction will be found in the following books:
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art

Shelved at 704.9403 (reference only)

Covers the subject matter of western art. Themes are mainly classical or
Christian, mythological, moral and allegorical

Covers subjects such as the significance of a place in a painting and how
particular characters are usually portrayed
Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural Icons and the Meanings Behind Them

Shelved at 704.946 (reference only)

This dictionary is of cultural icons and therefore includes common items
that have acquired symbolic value
The Encyclopaedia of Themes and Subjects in Painting

Shelved at 753 (reference only)
An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols

Shelved at 704.946 (reference only)

An alphabetical list of subjects with some black and white illustrations.
Also covers non-western art. Has a Glossary and Bibliography
If you already know a little about the symbol you are researching, you may
find it more rewarding to use a more specialised dictionary.
Some dictionaries cover just one period and can therefore go into more detail
and have entries for the more esoteric symbols:
Myth and Religion in European Painting, 1270-1700: the Stories as the
Artists Knew Them

Shelved at 704.948

Covers 850 subjects in painting that were commonplace during that
period. Subjects in mythology, ancient history, Italian poetry, saints' lives
and the Bible
There are also dictionaries which specialise in just one type of symbolism, and
therefore, cover the subject in more detail. For example, for religious
symbolism, use:
Saints and their Attributes: and Patronage with a Guide to Localities

Shelved at 704.9486 (reference only)

A comprehensive list of symbols and attributes, with the saints involved
listed under each topic, e.g. arrow, inscriptions. Gives a list under each
indicated how each is depicted
If you have identified the symbol but would like more information about the
subject use:
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libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk
A Dictionary of Hinduism: its Mythology, Folklore and Development,
1500 B.C.-A.D. 1500

Shelved at 704.948945 (reference only)

Deities, demons, plant, animals etc are all under their Sanscrit names.
Use the "English Subjects and their Sanscrit equivalents" section at the
back
The Iconography of Christian Art, 2 vols.

Shelved at 704.9482 (reference only)

This specialises in the iconography of the life of Christ

It is arranged by theme, so use the index at the end of Volume 2
The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets

Shelved at 704.946

This includes legends and mythology from all over the world.
In order to find examples of the use of a symbol, use:
Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990’s, 2 vols.

Shelved at 704.947 (reference only)

This gives short explanations of mythological figures / themes and gives a
long list of artworks in chronological order. Locations given for the works

There is a list of sources (books and exhibition catalogues) and an index
of artists in volume 2
Step 2: Library Catalogue
There is an extensive collection of books on symbolism in the art section of
The City Campus Library, particularly:
Signs and Symbols: their Design and Meaning

Shelved at 704.946
There is also a variety of books on subjects in art, usually well illustrated
which can be used if you are looking for a particular image, for example:
Animals and Men : their Relationship as Reflected in Western Art from
Prehistory to the Present Day

Shelved at 704.9432
The Sun in Art : Sun Symbolism, from the Past to the Present, in Pagan
and Christian Art, Folk Art, Fine Art and Applied Art

Shelved at 704.94952
Music, Mirror of the Arts

Shelved at 704.94978
The social sciences section of the Library has a large section of books on the
religions and mythologies of the world, most of which are well illustrated.
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Step 3: Journal indexes
Research into symbolism and iconography is carried out continuously. For upto-date information use journal articles. The best indexes to use for articles on
symbols are:

Art Full Text, Art Index Retrospective and JSTOR (see page 2 of this
guide)
Further help
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
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number

Email Us - via the Help Page on Library Online
http://libraryonline.leedsmet.ac.uk

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