This guide is based on the VIC164 research assignments for Prof. Maria Cichosz' class, e.g., Essay on Artwork in Context and the Research Proposal and Project which starts with selecting a modern or postmodern work from the AGO Collections (modern and contemporary).
(slightly cropped) image and original data provided by Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives, in Artstor
Oxford Art OnlineWhile you can search for the title of the artwork, that piece may not be mentioned in these overview sources, so it's best to search for the name of the artist. You'll gain the broader context of their art-making career, and you can focus on the section about the time period during which your selected artwork was created. This will give you valuable information; for instance, the art style or movement it belonged to, any historical events or life changes for the artist that could possibly be related to the creation of your selected artwork. That broader information can be used to help frame what you write about and provide terms and information that will help you find more specific sources.
ArtstorFor detailed entries/articles on the specific style, movement, theme, or a group of artists that your selected artist was associated with (e.g., cubism, abstract expressionism, etc.) look up that term in the various reference sources listed on the next section of this guide (in some cases, you will need to use the index for the eBook).
Analyses of the artist's work, or more broadly of the movement they have been associated with will likely discuss influences of that time and setting (social, political, economic, technological) These can be found mostly within book chapters and more specific sub-topics or facets of their milieu may be discussed in scholarly journals (in the domains of visual art/culture, but also history, possibly sociology).
You can also search for sources about the themes represented in your selected artwork.
It may not retrieve (or surface near the top) all relevant articles.
It's recommended you also search within the recommended Art sources databases.
Example of an advanced search formula in LibrarySearch below:
Navigate to the "Scholarly journal articles" section of this guide (see the sections menu at left, or above if viewing this guide from within the Quercus course).
It's possible there is no detailed analysis of the specific work that you selected, but it is perfectly acceptable (confirmed with Prof. Cichosz) to draw from secondary sources that analyze the critique or reception of similar works by the same artist (same time period or style), or on the influences at play in that artist's work.
To simplify, a source may be relevant even if it does not mention the work you are focusing on for your assignment. It could also be a source on the cultural milieu of that time, rather than a source focused on the work of that particular artist.