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Subject indexing in the visual arts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Trevor Fawcett
Trevor Fawcett*
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia
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Abstract

There remain theoretical and practical difficulties in the subject analysis of visual arts documents and the assignment of appropriate index terms. Visual arts indexing would be aided by an internationally agreed, controlled vocabulary with rules of usage. In devising such a language, subject knowledge and experience of the literature are as necessary as an understanding of indexing theory. Examples of current indexing practice are cited, notably PRECIS, Library of Congress, RILA, and the Répertoire d’Art et d’Archéologie.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , Spring 1979 , pp. 5 - 18
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 1979

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References

(1) See Barbin’s, Madeleine report of the seminar ‘Les techniques de l’ordinateur au service de la classification iconographique’ held 22-23 September 1977 at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, published in Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 6e période, 90, 1977, pp. 218–223.Google Scholar
(2) The most important of these code manuals have been published by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.Google Scholar
(3) Hutchins, W.J. On the problem of “aboutness” in document analysis. Journal of Informatics, vol. 1, 1977, pp. 17–35; The concept of “aboutness” in subject indexing. Aslib Proceedings, vol. 30, 1978, pp. 172–181.Google Scholar
(4) Swift, D.F., Winn, V. and Bramer, D. “Aboutness” as a strategy for retrieval in the social sciences. Aslib Proceedings, vol. 30, 1978, pp. 182–187.Google Scholar
(5) Cited in: Honour, H. Neoclassicism. Harmondsworth, 1968. p. 58.Google Scholar
(6) Blunt, A. Some uses and misuses of the terms Baroque and Rococò as applied to architecture. London, 1973. p. 5. See also Manierismo, Barocco, Rococo: concetti e termini Convegno internazionale, Roma 21 marzo - 4 aprile 1960. Rome, 1962, especially the contributions of Santoli, V. and Cantimori, D..Google Scholar
(7) On the term ‘Style’ see Schapiro’s, Meyer classic discussion in Anthropology today, ed. Kroeber, A.L.. Chicago, 1953, p. 287–312.Google Scholar
(8) Hermand, J. Stile, Ismen, Etiketten: zur Periodisierung der modemen Kunst. Wiesbaden, 1978.Google Scholar
(9) Charles Harrison’s point, quoted in the introduction of: Walker, J.A. Glossary of art, architecture and design since 1945. 2nd ed. London, 1977.Google Scholar
For example Bruce Archer regards art history as a subdivision of design history, in ‘Some tasks for design history’ Art Libraries Journal, vol. 2, no. 3, Summer 1977, p. 4. Kubler, G. would roughly agree, seeing works of art as signals from past cultures distributed through time in linked successions — the main theme of his stimulating book The shape of time. New Haven, Conn., 1962.Google Scholar
(11) Hadjinicolaou, N. Histoire de l’art et lutte des classes. Paris, 1974, passim. But note also Gombrich’s, E.H. reply to the Marxist or sociological view of art in his Art history and the social sciences. Oxford, 1975. For Gombrich the main task of art history is élitist: to establish and keep the canon of artistic excellence.Google Scholar
(12) Jacqueline, D. Sisson discusses frankly the enormous task of indexing and regularising Venturi in her article ‘Case history of the compilation of a large cumulative index’. The Indexer, vol. 10, 1977, pp. 164–175.Google Scholar
(13) The V. & A. subject headings have not been published as such, but the second edition of a Harvard list — produced during a project to increase control of terminology — was printed in March 1978 for the benefit of local library staff and readers: see ARLIS/NA News-letter, no. 5, February 1977, p. 47.Google Scholar
(14) Tomlinson’s, Helen ‘The use of categories for sculpture’ is printed in Classification and information control: papers representing the work of the Classification Research Group during 1960-68. London: Library Association, 1969, pp. 58–61. The project initiated by Fox, Dexter L. and his colleagues at the University of Maryland was reported in ARLIS/NA Newsletter, no. 2, October 1974, pp. 92–93. Antony Croghan outlined his own approach in ‘The problems of making a modern indexing language for the fine arts’ ARLIS News-letter, no. 20, 1974, pp. 26–31; according to Radials Bulletin 1978, this work is at present in abeyance.Google Scholar
(15) Current commercial services are however admirably described by Ross, Alexander D. in ‘Abstracts and indexes’ in Art Library manual, ed. Pacey, P.. London, 1977. pp. 168–185, which also notes further reviews of individual indexes.Google Scholar
(16) ARLIS/NA Newsletter regularly discusses LCSH and its policy changes. The Library of Congress reports on developments in its regular Cataloging Service Bulletin. Google Scholar
(17) My subsequent examples come largely from RILA, vol. 3, no. 1, 1977 and Répertoire, n.s. 14, no. 3, 1978.Google Scholar