Japanese Art Database (2011)
http://www.stephensalel.com/japaneseArtDatabase
username: user
password: asianart
Image 1. An overall view of the database featuring a random entry.
Developed in 2007 using Microsoft Access, this database was originally designed to assist me in my job as manager of a Japanese art gallery. I ultimately decided to transfer the data into a MySQL database, expand the content beyond the collection of the gallery I worked at, and make the information publicly accessible for the purpose of art history research.
The composition of the database screen is divided into five sections: information on the artist, information on the artwork, an image of the artwork, drop-down menus to filter the data, and navigation controls to either peruse a filtered section of the database or to look through the entire database.
The composition of the database screen is divided into five sections: information on the artist, information on the artwork, an image of the artwork, drop-down menus to filter the data, and navigation controls to either peruse a filtered section of the database or to look through the entire database.
Image 2. Section One of the database includes biographical information about the artist. Though the majority of the information is in English, supplementary information in Japanese is currently being added. CSS and JQuery are used to position the blocks of text accurately regardless of the length of each block.
Image 3. Section Two of the database includes information about the selected artwork.
Image 4. A photograph of the selected artwork. JQuery and CSS are used to keep the photographed centered within its frame regardless of the aspect ratio of the photo or the aspect ratio of the browser window.
Image 5. Below the image of the selected artwork is a single drop-down menu featuring five categories with which to filter the database.
Images 6-7. When one of the five categories in the first drop-down menu is selected, a second drop-down menu appears with a list of subcategories through which to further filter the database results.
Image 8. A sample of the subcategories listed under the 'medium' category.
Image 9. Once a subcategory is selected, the filtered results (in this case, all hanging scrolls) can be perused using the navigation controls, or if the user likes, the entire database can be perused from beginning to end.
