An artist's catalog raisonné is a definitive listing of artworks by that artist. Many catalogs raisonné include provenance information, dimensions, a description of the artwork, and an image (either in black and white or color).
Not every artist has a catalog raisonné. They are usually published after an artist has deceased and most commonly for "major" and popular artists.
To search for catalogs raisonné in the library catalog, search for the artist's name and catalog raisonne. i.e. "Jacob Lawrence catalog raisonne"
The Complete Jacob Lawrence by If you are in search of color images, that information is supplied in the field marked DESCRIPTION in the catalog record; in the following library catalog record for a monograph on the work of Mark Rothko, we know that at least some works are illustrated in color (and hopefully, your sought-after painting will be among them!):
| Author: | Weiss, Jeffrey. |
|---|---|
| Title: | Mark Rothko/Jeffrey Weiss; with contributions by John Gage...[et al.] |
| Publisher: | Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art; New Haven: Yale U. Press, c1998. |
| Description: | 376p.: ill. (some col.): 32cm. |
| Subject(s): | Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970--Exhibitions |
And if that doesn't work...
Go one step further and try to identify the period, school, or style of the artwork. If your artist is not very well-known, this is often the best way to expand your search. A lesser-known artist of the Hudson River School, for example, might be covered in general exhibition catalogs and monographs on this period/style of American painting.
There are many reference books in Bobst Library that index images of artwork. If you are looking for images of artwork by a well-known artist, these books will likely be of use to you. They offer title and artist indexes and indicate the book in which the image can be found. Due to the popularity of online image searching in recent years, most of these books were published before the year 2000 but can still be useful for those who wish to search tactilely.
World Painting Index by 
Print Index by 
Historical Art Index, A. D. 400-1650 by 
LC cataloging rules allow for the designation "in art" for just about anything imaginable. To find books comprised largely of text and images about a particular theme, person, or phenomenon in art, conduct a phrase search in the library catalog, by subject heading or keyword.
An illustrated book will have at least one of the following terms in the Description field:
ill. (for "illustrated"), maps, pl. (plates), col. (color), plans, ports (portraits)
