Chemistry 001 Library Guide:
Chemistry and Art
|
What's giving you trouble? 
|
Coming up with a paper topic
The final judgment on the appropriateness of a topic always lies with the instructor.
If in doubt, check with Dr. Ryan.
With such a broad starting point, it can feel overwhelming to select a topic that can be covered in a short paper. It is very important to focus your area of interest so that you can address it in a four-page paper. There are several ways to find direction and narrow the topic to a manageable size.
Remember, research is not always a linear process. Explore broadly until you find an idea that interests you; then search for journal articles on that final, focused paper topic.
1. ‘Big Picture’ Questions
Big picture questions help you find an area of interest on which to concentrate.
How is chemistry involved in my favorite type of art?
How has chemistry advanced the methods and/or materials used?
How do chemical reactions affect pieces of art over time?
How is chemistry used to conserve or restore works of art?
2. Encyclopedia articles and websites
Encyclopedia articles and websites can provide background and perspective as well as pique your interest in a topic. Encyclopedia articles are not appropriate as references for this paper but rather can be used to help with choosing a specific topic.
CAMEO: Conservation & Art Material
Encyclopedia Online
Grove Art
Online
“Art conservation chemistry” in Access Science
Keeping the Artist Safe:
Hazards of Arts and Crafts Materials a webpage from the National Library of
Medicine
"Chemistry
In Art" HYLE--International Journal for
Philosophy of Chemistry, Vol. 9, No.2 (2003), pp. 225-232
Fiber Art - Professor Margaret Merritt, Wellesley College Chemistry
Department
several articles Journal of Chemical Education, Vol. 78 (Oct 2001)
"Paints'
Mysteries Challenge Protectors of Modern Art" Randy Kennedy New York
Times, Feb 14, 2007
3. Keywords
We’ve come up with some keywords to spark your own ideas.
|
conservation, restoration, preservation
paint, pigment, color, varnish, dye
etching
lithography
photography
papermaking
metalworking
counterfeiting (of paintings)
|
|
|
4. Books on Reserve
We’ve placed several books for each subject on Reserve.
Click the links below to see the Table of Contents for inspiration.
Then take a look at the book by taking the call number to the Reserves Desk in the lower level of Raynor where you can check it
out and browse through it.
Scan the index for additional ideas.
|
Art in Chemistry, Chemistry in Art
by Barbara R. Greenberg and Dianne Patterson
call number: QD40 .G73 1998
Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color
by Phillip Ball
call number: N7432.7 .B35 2002
Color: A Multidisciplinary Approach
by Heinrich Zollinger
call number: QC495 .Z65 1999
|
|
Color Science
in the Examination of Museum Objects: Nondestructive Procedures
by Ruth Jonston-Feller
call number: N8560 .J64 2001
Modern Analytical Methods in
Art and Archaeology
edited by Enrico Ciliberto and Guiseppe Spoto
call number: N8558 .M63 2000
Synthetic Worlds: Nature, Art and the Chemical Industry
by Esther Leslie
call number: N70 .L47 2005
|
|
Finding Good Articles
|
|
For the types of journals that Dr. Ryan recommends for this assignment (journals such as Nature, Science, and
Chemical & Engineering News), we suggest the following databases:
|
|
