As you encounter sources, think about the ways in which they can be used in researching and writing about art. The illustration below identifies four uses.
BEAM is a framework for thinking about the various ways in which a resource might be used to make a researched argument.
What could a writer do with this source?
Background: general information, establish facts
Exhibit: explicate, interpret, analyze
Argument: affirm, dispute, refine, extend
Method: critical lens, key terms, theory, style, perspective, discourse
Definition:
Publications on focused aspects of a subject that report both retrospective and current information
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Definition:
Publications which document a museum exhibit
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Picturing the Bible by Definition:
A published collection of essays written by multiple authors around a common artist or theme and compiled into a coherent work
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Example:
Velazquez' 'Las Meninas' by Definition:
A thorough, reasoned and systematic documentation of all works by an artist – the oeuvre – in a given medium (such as painting, sculpture, works on paper) or all media known at the time when the catalogue is prepared.
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Van Dyck by Definition:
A scholarly treatise on an individual artist or subject, presenting original research or scholarship
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Artemisia Gentileschi by Definition:
Provide a survey of art history
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Art History by