Step 1: What is a Master Painting?
The term “old master” or “master” painting generally refers to paintings by European artists working before 1800. The descriptive passage below provides a good description:
“When we gaze at an "old master" painting, most of us understand that we are looking at an artistic icon of Western civilization. We recognize the still lifes, portraits, religious depictions, landscapes and historical scenes as work by some of the greatest European artists, including Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Rubens, Raphael and Titian, all of whom painted between the 15th and the early 18th centuries. These were the artists who worked out many of the painting principles taken for granted in art schools today, including how to portray light, show perspective and establish a pleasing composition”. From: PBS.org accessed Sept. 2007.
For the “”Mess with the Masters” project, it is important to find an image that has many visual elements but also one that appeals to your own creative interests. Remember, you will be transforming your Master Painting and will be expected to change many elements in the painting.
Step 2: How do I find a Master Painting?
Browse the book shelves in the painting section in the DAAP Library. Browsing is a great way to find images. Oversize books may have larger images which will be better for scanning.
Painting books have call numbers that begin with ND. Painting history is ND 49 - ND 813. This section is then subdivided by country of origin.
Examples :
French : ND 541 - ND 553
Italian : ND 613 - ND 623
Dutch, Flemish, Netherlandish : ND 631 - ND 673
To find books on specific artists:
Search the artist's name as subject in the Library Catalog to locate books on the artist that will contain reproductions.
Some “Master Artists” include:
Leonardo, da Vinci
Poussin, Nicolas
Michelangelo
Rembrandt
Rubens, Peter Paul
Write down the location, DAAP Stacks or DAAP Oversize, and the complete call number. Note if the status is "available." Look for the books on the second level of the library. If you have questions, please ask the staff for help.
To find books in the catalog with the phrase "master paintings" or "old masters" in the title or description:
Search master paintings as keyword in the library catalog or search old masters as keyword limited to the DAAP Library.
Write down the location, DAAP Stacks or DAAP Oversize, and the complete call number. Note if the status is "available." Look for the books on the second level of the library. If you have questions, please ask the staff for help.