Research Guides: Canadian Painting: Books to Get You Started

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Books to Get You Started

Why Reference books?

Question: What value lies in a reference work? Why should you bother to consult these books?

Answer: Reference books help create a framework around your topic. They can help guide you in asking the right questions. Reference books can help researchers become more efficient database searchers - in formulating which keywords (or search terms) to use. Scholarly reference books also contain bibliographies (!!) - a listing of some of the most respected secondary and most useful primary sources on a topic. In a nutshell.... reference books are a great way to begin your research.

Books to Get You Started

Here are some awesome books to get you started on your research topic Please note: E-Books are restricted to current TRU students, staff and faculty

Use the following terms in a subject search to find related items in the library catalogue.

Subject headings to explore:
• Painting, Canadian--History.
• Art, Canadian.
• Art, Modern--20th century--Canada.
• Painters--British Columbia--Biography.
• Painting, Modern--Canada--Exhibitions.
• Group of Seven (Group of artists)--Exhibitions.

The Visual Arts in Canada by Anne Whitelaw (Editor); Brian Foss (Editor); Sandra Paikowsky (Editor)
Call Number: N 6545 .V5885 2012
ISBN: 9780195421255
The Visual Arts in Canada: The Twentieth Century charts the developments in Canadian art from the late-nineteenth century to the present with new essays by the country's leading art historians. A comprehensive overview, this volume embraces painting, sculpture, photography, design, video, and conceptual and cross-disciplinary art, as well as studies of art institutions and historiography.
Canadian Art by general editors Charles C. Hill and Pierre Landry
Call Number: N 910 .O7 N22
This catalogue of the works in the National Gallery of Canada is still being published (the TRU Library has volumes 1 and 2). The works included in this set focus on paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, decorative arts and diploma works of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Index to nineteenth-century Canadian catalogues of art by Jonathan Franklin
Call Number: N 6544 .F73 2004 V.1-2
An index to all surviving catalogues of art exhibitions in Canada during the 19th century housed in museum and research library collections. Arranged by date of exhibition, and indexed by artist name.
Oh, Canada by Denise Markonish (Editor); Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: N 6545 .O38 2012
The fact that Canada has a vibrant contemporary art scene is no secret to Canadians, but in other parts of the world, including the United States, this is not as recognized as it deserves to be. This wide-ranging, comprehensive survey of contemporary Canadian art, showcasing the work of artists from all across the country, will change that.
Painting in Canada by J. Russell Harper
Call Number: ND 240 .H3 1977
This book provides an overview of the development of painting in Canada. Sections include The French Colony, English Colonial Period, New Dominion, and Nationalism and Internationalism. Coverage extends to the early 1960's.
A concise history of Canadian painting by Dennis Reid
Call Number: ND 240 .R44 1988 House of Learning Library & Williams Lake
A comprehensive overview of painting in Canada from New France 1665-1760 to the Painters Eleven, 1965. Written from the point of view that "of all the arts in Canada, painting is the one that most directly presents the Canadian experience." Illustrated with colour plates.
Canadian Art in the Twentieth Century by Joan Murray
Call Number: ND 245 .M855 1999 Print & E-book
This work surveys Canadian art from 1900 to the 1990's. Includes colour reproductions of major Canadian paintings and an extensive bibliography of further readings.
A national soul : Canadian mural painting, 1860s-1930s by Marylin Jean McKay
Call Number: ND 2641 .M353 2002 Print & E-Book
Shows how the murals of this period glorified Canada as a modern nation state, extolled the virtues of commerce and industry, inculcated conventions of gender and race, and shared the intensity of nationalistic sentiment that led to the work of the more renowned painters of Toronto's Group of Seven.

Article Databases

What's a Database?

Article databases contain information about articles, and often include the full-text of the articles as well.

While searching our discovery service will find articles for you, databases allow you do more controlled and precise searching.

Best Bets

Arts & Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to current and retrospective citations and cited references found in nearly 1,130 of the world's leading arts & humanities journals. Arts & Humanities Citation Index covers individually selected, relevant items from approximately 7,000 of the world's leading science and social sciences journals. Weekly updates.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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JSTOR represents over 600 journals in the arts, humanities and social sciences. NOTE: Does not provide access to current issues of periodicals. JSTOR provides archival access to journals and access to journals varies from publisher to publisher. In most cases two to five years plus the current calendar year are excluded.

Other Suggestions

Academic Search Complete
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Scholarly collection, spans nearly every area of academic study. Updated daily.

Websites

Related Associations & Societies

Websites

Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art
National Gallery of Canada
The permanent home of the world’s most comprehensive collection of Canadian art, including online exhibitions and features. Other collecting areas include Indigenous art, European, American and Asian art, Photography, Prints and Drawings, Contemporary art.
Vancouver Art Gallery

Research Strategies

Research Tips

Some really great resources to consult are:

Guide to Evaluating Web Sites
Learn how to recognize high quality information on the internet and in print.
Following a Citation Trail
Discover how to find a book from a reading list or a bibliography/reference list.
Citation Management
This guide provides an overview of citation management and its benefits, and information about getting started with either RefWorks, Mendeley, or Zotero.

Quick Links

Article Databases
See the full list of all TRU article databases
Find your Subject Librarian
Connect with the librarian best able to help you in your research
Online Forms
Find the right form to submit an ILL request, book a group study room, request a book purchase, and more!
TRU Library Events & Workshops Calendar
Calendar listing current workshop offerings at the TRU library

Citation Guides

Common Citation Styles

ACS Citation Style (American Chemical Society)
APA Citation Style 7th ed (American Psychological Association)
Psychology and other social sciences, e.g., Linguistics, Sociology, Economics, Criminology. Also Nursing and sometimes Business. But check with your instructor!
APA Citation Style 6th ed. (American Pscyhological Association)
guide to citing your sources for Psychology and other social sciences, e.g., Linguistics, Sociology, Economics, Criminology. Also Nursing and sometimes Business. Check with your instructor for which edition to use.
ASA Citation Style Guide (American Sociological Association)
Sociology and other social sciences, but check with your instructor to be sure.
Chicago Manual of Style
Style guide. Commonly used for History, the Humanities and various other disciplines. However, check with your instructor.
CSE Citation Style (Council of Science Editors)
Biology and other sciences.
MLA Citation Style (Modern Language Association)
Style guide. Frequently used in English and Humanities studies. Check with your instructor to be sure.

Canadian Painting

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Books to Get You Started

Why Reference books?

Books to Get You Started

Article Databases

What's a Database?

Best Bets

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Websites

Related Associations & Societies

Websites

Research Strategies

Research Tips

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Citation Guides

Common Citation Styles

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