Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to the Asian Art Subject Research Guide
This guide highlights resources relevant to the study of Asian Art.
For a more comprehensive list of Library resources for Art History please visit the Art History and Curatorship guide and the A-Z eJournals and Databases website.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias and reference sources
General art reference sources:
- Concise Oxford Dictionary of Arts TermsThis dictionary covers a wide range of terms from the visual art world, including materials, techniques, and important styles and periods.
- Oxford Dictionary of Art and ArtistsThis dictionary contains over 2,500 clear and concise entries on styles and movements, materials and techniques, and museums and galleries.
Chinese art:
Historical Dictionary of Chinese Culture by Call Number: UniM Bail 951.003 SULLISBN: 9781538146033Publication Date: 2021-03-29
Oxford bibliographies - Chinese studies by Call Number: electronic resourceISBN: 9780199920082Publication Date: 2013- Encyclopedia of Chinese symbolism and art motives : an alphabetical compendium of legends and beliefs as reflected in the manners and customs of the Chinese throughout history byCall Number: UniM Bail 398.3 WILLPublication Date: 1960
Dictionary of Chinese Symbols by Call Number: UniM Bund 951.00321 EBER {Bund23 20111014}ISBN: 0415002281Publication Date: 1988-07-11- An English-Chinese and Chinese-English Dictionary of Art byCall Number: UniM Store FA N33 YING 2000 EA REFISBN: 7560021077Publication Date: 2000-01-01
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women by Call Number: UniM Bail REF 305.4092251 BIOGISBN: 0765600439Publication Date: 1998-05-31
Index to Ming Dynasty Chinese Paintings
A database containing over 9,000 records of Chinese artwork and artists from the Ming Dynasty.
The database includes: artist biographies, artwork descriptions, a bibliography covering the Ming Dynasty period, mid-14th through mid-17th centuries in China.
Japanese art:
- Dictionary of Japanese Artists byCall Number: UniM Bail 709.52 ROBEISBN: 0834801132Publication Date: 1977-01-01
The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints by Call Number: UniM Bail 769.952 HOTEISBN: 9074822657Publication Date: 2005-01-01
- JAANUS (Japanese Architectural and Art Net Users System)JAANUS (Japanese Architectural and Art Net Users System) is the on-line Dictionary of Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology.
- A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Religious Sculpture & ArtThis open-access website on Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan provides an A-to-Z photo dictionary of
Japanese religious sculpture and art.
Books
To find books on a particular subject, do a keyword search in the Library Catalogue. Alternatively you can search by title, author, etc.
You can also find books on similar topics through the subject headings in item records. Click on these headings to find related subjects and titles.
Looking for a book we don't have or is not on our shelves?
Inter-Library Loans
University of Melbourne staff and students can request resources through the Library’s Inter-Library Loans service. For more information visit the ILL web page, or you can access the request forms.
A CAVAL card allows you to borrow from other universities and TAFEs. Visit the CAVAL website to find out how to sign up for a CAVAL card.
You can then use the Trove website to see which library has the book you want.
Recommended books
The library catalogue
The Asian Modern by ISBN: 9789811406072Publication Date: 2020-11-15John Clark's magisterial The Asian Modern reconstructs the notion of art and its historiography. Writing about the history of the Asian modern through the social life of artists, he generates a new paradigm for the narration of art. The Asian Modern meticulously charts his analysis of art in Asia from the 1850s to the present day, and is an invaluable resource for the scholar and layman alike.
Art and Social Change by Call Number: electronic resourceISBN: 1740760468Publication Date: 2005-06-01A collection of essays dealing with art and social change in the Asia-Pacific.
Contemporary Asian art and exhibitions: connectivities and world-making by Call Number: electronic resourceISBN: 9781925022001Publication Date: 2014
Chinese ways of seeing and open-air paintingCall Number: electronic resourceISBN: 9781684176137Publication Date: 2020
Contemporary Chinese Art by Call Number: electronic resourceISBN: 9781780233086Publication Date: 2014-06-15
Art and Artists in China Since 1949 by Call Number: UniM Bail High Use 709.510904 YIISBN: 9781107024502Publication Date: 2017-12-28
The Arts of China by Call Number: UniM Bail 709.51 SULLISBN: 9780520255685Publication Date: 2009-02-02
Contemporary Chinese Art by Call Number: UniM Bail 709.510904 CONTISBN: 9780822349433Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Painters and Politics in the People's Republic of China, 1949-1979 by Call Number: OnlineISBN: 0520079817Publication Date: 1995-01-12
A History of Art in 20th-Century China by Call Number: UniM Bail High Use 709.5109 LUISBN: 9782757207000Publication Date: 2016-05-01
History of Japanese Art by Call Number: UniM Bail 709.52 MASOISBN: 0810910853Publication Date: 1993-03-15Explores the ceramics, sculpture, paintings, and furniture of Japan while explaining the historical influences of each period.
Architecture and Authority in Japan by Call Number: OnlineISBN: 041505754XPublication Date: 1996-09-20
Writing the Modern by Call Number: UniM Bail 709.595 SABAISBN: 9789811157639Publication Date: 2018-08-15
Charting Thoughts by Call Number: UniM Bail 709.59 CHARISBN: 9789811128653Publication Date: 2017-04-08- Thai art : currencies of the contemporary byCall Number: UniM Bail 709.5930905 TEHISBN: 9789814722513Publication Date: 2017
Ambitious alignments : new histories of Southeast Asian art, 1945-1990 by Call Number: UniM Bail 709.59 AMBIISBN: 9780909952921Publication Date: 2018
Photography in Southeast Asia by Call Number: UniM Bail 770.95957 ZHUAISBN: 9789814722124Publication Date: 2017-01-15
Databases
Discipline-specific databases
Databases useful for Asian Art:
- Bibliography of Asian StudiesBibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) is a comprehensive western-language resource for research on Asia. BAS provides indexing coverage of many important journals, particularly ones published in Asia, which are not indexed anywhere else. It also contains citations to Western-language chapters in edited volumes, conference proceedings, anthologies, Festschriften, and more. BAS covers all subjects (especially in the humanities and the social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide from 1971 to the present.
- Art & Architecture Complete (EBSCO)Art & Architecture Complete provides full-text coverage of 380 periodicals and more than 220 books. In addition, this database offers cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 780 academic journals, magazines and trade publications, plus over 230 books. The database also provides selective coverage for 70 additional publications and an Image Collection of over 63,000 images provided by Picture Desk and others.
- Art Index Retrospective (H.W. Wilson)Art Index Retrospective™: 1929 -1984 provides users access to over half a century of art literature covering fine, decorative, and commercial art. Content includes high-quality indexing of nearly 600 publications, many of which are peer-reviewed, and citations of over 25,000 book reviews.
- ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) (ProQuest)ARTbibliographies Modern (ABM) provides full abstracts of journal articles, books, essays, exhibition catalogs, PhD dissertations, and exhibition reviews on all forms of modern and contemporary art, with approximately 12-13,000 new entries being added each year. Entries date back as far as the late 1960s. ABM contains information on modern and contemporary arts dating from the late 19th century onwards, plus photography since its invention and includes abstracts of English and foreign-language material on famous and lesser-known artists, movements, and trends.
- Asia Art Archive
A large collection of primary and secondary source material on contemporary Asian art. Secondary materials include: exhibition catalogues, monographs, reference books, periodicals, audio-visuals, AAA files, invitation cards, leaflets and clippings.
- JSTOR Asian Studies
Asian Studies subset of JSTOR. Includes journals and books.
- AATA (Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts) OnlineCompiled by the Getty Conservation Institute with the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, AATA Online includes more than 100,000 abstracts of international literature relating to the preservation and conservation of cultural material.
- CiNii Articles (CiNii)CiNii (Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator) Articles enables you to search information on academic articles published in academic society journals, university research bulletins or articles included in the National Diet Library's Japanese Periodicals Index Database. NOTE: CiNii contains open access content and content restricted to subscribers. The Library has access to the open access content only.
- DBpia Electronic Journals ServiceFull text database including over 1,000 Korean scholarly journals. the journal titles are arranged by 11 subject categories (Business/Economics, Theology, Education, Sociology, Natural Science, Human science, Linguistics, Law/Administration, Artistic and Physical). All journals are available from the first issue of a given title.
- JapanKnowledge+Including Nikkoku Online (ジャパンナレッジ+ 日本国語大辞典).
JapanKnowledge+ is a database containing full text records from Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Newspapers, Journals, and more. The database also features Nikkoku Online, the online version of the Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, a dictionary of Japanese language and terms.
eJournals
e-Journals
Below is a selected list of online Asian art eJournals. For a complete list of eJournals held by the University of Melbourne Library please visit our A-Z eJournals page.
- Archives of Asian art
- Artibus Asiae
- Asian arts
- Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art
- Southeast of Now
- SPAFA Journal - an Open Access journal that publishes research and multimedia submissions in the areas of archaeology, visual arts, performing arts and cultural heritage pertinent to Southeast Asia.
- Trans-Asia Photography Review
Websites
General advice on websites (map this box)
You can find relevant information and resources for your research on the websites of professional organisations and bodies, institutes, NGOs, government departments, etc.
This guide gives a few suggestions to get you started and to give you an idea what to look for. It is by no means comprehensive. If you are a coursework student, check your LMS to see if your lecturer has provided website recommendations.
Tip: if you want to limit your Google search results to organisational, governmental, or educational websites, use Google's advanced search option to limit the site or domains to .org, .gov, .edu.
Cultural Materials Conservation websites
Selected websites on Asian art:
- Australasian Network for Asian ArtThe Australasian Network for Asian Art (an4aa) consists of researchers and curators from Australia and New Zealand working in the field of Asian art. The Network shares research and fosters a scholarly community.
- The Huntington Archive of Buddhist and Asian ArtContains photographic documentation of art and architecture throughout Asia. Countries covered include India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), China, and Japan. The documentation covers in situ works of art and architecture ranging from approximately 2500 B.C.E. to the present, as well as pieces found in most major Asian, European, and American museums.
China
- MCLC RESOURCE CENTER: Modern Chinese Literature and CultureThe MCLC Resource Center is the online face of the print journal Modern Chinese Literature and Culture. It publishes online articles and book reviews and houses bibliographies of mostly English-language materials on modern and contemporary Chinese literature, film/media, visual arts, music, education, and culture.
- Inside Out: New Chinese ArtCurated by Gao Minglu in association with the Asia Society and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
"Inside Out: New Chinese Art is the first major exhibition to present the dynamic new art being produced by artists in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and by selected artists who emigrated to the West in the late 1980s." - Photography of ChinaAn online hub connecting artists, media, institutions, corporates, and collectors from around the world. Includes annotated profiles of digital archives of photographs of China.
- A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization (Prepared by Patricia Buckley Ebrey)Topics include geography, ancient tombs, Buddhism, calligraphy, military technology, painting, homes, gardens, clothing, and graphic arts.
Japan
- Cultural JapanCultural Japan is a source of digital resources on Japanese Culture from all over the world.
- Kabuki 21Database of Kabuki plays, actors, and performances.
- JAHF (Japan Art History Forum)JAHF (Japan Art History Forum) is an organization dedicated to promoting the study of Japanese visual culture (membership required).
- Japanese Text InitiativeJapanese Text Initiative is a collaborative effort to make texts of classical Japanese literature available on the World Wide Web.
- MojizoMojizo is a Kuzushiji Reading tool.
Southeast Asia
- SEA Junction (Southeast Asia Junction)Part of the Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies, a registered non-profit Thai foundation established in 2018, SEA Junction aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all socio-cultural dimensions – from arts and crafts to the economy and development. Profiles emerging artists, intellectuals, practitioners from the region.
- SEAArch Southeast Asian ArchaeologySince 2006, this website has indexed over 6,000 news articles related to Southeast Asian Archaeology and amassed over 100 links to useful digital resources. The directory is themed around countries and regions, specific topics, and research resources.
- New MandalaNew Mandala provides anecdote, analysis and new perspectives on Southeast Asia. It devotes its attention to the politics and societies of Southeast Asian countries, and their connections with one another. New Mandala has a proud record of contribution to scholarly and popular debates and played a pioneering role in the digitisation of Southeast Asian studies.
New Mandala is hosted by the Australian National University’s (ANU) Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs in the College of Asia and the Pacific.
Images
Online image collections
- Chinese Propaganda PostersWebsite showing Chinese propaganda posters with information about their history, background and design.
- The East Asian Collection (University of Wisconsin-Madison)"The East Asian Collection includes historical images that present a visual archive of 20th century East Asian cultural heritage. Currently, the collection consists of images that document early 20th century China including the the Sino-Japanese Conflict (1937-1945), a visual history of Buddhist practices and temples in China, and other images of daily life in both rural and urban China."
- East Asian scroll paintings (University of Chicago Center for Art of East Asia)Interactive site to simulate the experience of viewing handscrolls.
- The International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online"IDP is a ground-breaking international collaboration to make information and images of all manuscripts, paintings, textiles and artefacts from Dunhuang and archaeological sites of the Eastern Silk Road freely available on the Internet and to encourage their use through educational and research programmes."
- Japanese Woodblock Print SearchThis is a massive online database of ukiyo-e prints from museums and collections around the world.
- OMuRAA Online Museum Resources on Asian ArtList of museums with Asian Art Collections Online.
- Tibet Visual History Online (Pitt Rivers Museum)Collection of over 4000 historical photographs of Tibet taken by British colonial photographers between 1908 and 1950.
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