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ART 105: Art History: From the Renaissance to the Present

A research guide for students studying ART 105: a survey course which covers the major period styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the Western world from the 1500's to the present.

The Information Literacy Core Academic Skill at NECC

Information literacy icon

Information literacy is a set of skills & dispositions regarding where & how to find information, evaluate information for relevance, quality, & bias, & how to use information legally & ethically.

Information Literacy: Students will learn to identify their information needs, locate, evaluate, and appropriately integrate information to accomplish a specific purpose. Students will demonstrate the ability to use current technology and other research resources to find and effectively communicate information.

This course will fulfill your requirement to take an information literacy-intensive course. This course will demonstrate that you have the above skills and can use information ethically, citing your sources and avoiding plagiarism.

This guide will help you find and cite appropriate sources for academic research in Art History.

Getting Started with Research in Art History

ART 105: A survey course which covers the major period styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the Western world from the 1500's to the present.

Most art history books are not dedicated to a single work.  When researching art remember to look for additional information about:

  • artist
  • location such as city or country
  • style i.e. Mannerist or Deco
  • period i.e Renaissance or Roman
  • movement i.e. Dada, Bauhaus, or Secession
  • material or technique

Searching tips:

If you know the name of the artist, use keyword or subject searching in the library catalog for books under these names.  Once you have a book in hand, refer to its index or table of contents to determine whether or not your artwork is mentioned.

If the artist is unknown, try searching under time period, style, location, or movement.


To cite this LibGuide use the following templates:

APA: Northern Essex Community College Library. (Date updated). Title of page. Title of LibGuide. URL

MLA: Northern Essex Community College Library. "Title of Page." Title of LibGuide, Date updated, URL.