What does research on works and artists mean?
Research means finding facts and checking that they are true. For an artwork, you ask questions such as: What is it? Who made it? When and where? Why? How was it made? What did people think of it? Your answers must be backed by evidence, not guesses.
Clue 1: Look closely
Start with the work itself. Write down the title, the material (paint, ink, stone, cloth), the size and the main colours and shapes. Then notice small things: brush marks, cracks, signatures. This is called observation. Do it before you read anything, so your own eyes come first.
Clue 2: The artist
Find out who made the work: where they were born, who taught them, what other works they made and what they believed. A biography helps explain choices. Remember that some works are by a group or by an unknown maker, and that is fine to say.
Clue 3: Time and place (context)
The context is the world around the work: the rulers, religion, trade, tools and events of that time. A painting made for a temple is different from one made for a market. Putting the work on a timeline shows what came before and after.
Clue 4: Compare
Put your work next to another one: same artist, same time, or same subject. Make a two-column list of what is the same and what is different. Comparison shows what is special about your work.
Clue 5: Sources and writing it up
A primary source comes from the time itself: the work, letters, diaries, photos. A secondary source comes later: books and articles by researchers. Prefer reliable sources such as museums, universities and books with named authors, and write down where each fact came from. Then write your findings in your own words and never copy text or pictures without permission.
Try it
Pick one object at home, such as a painted pot, a poster or a calendar picture. Fill in the five clues on a sheet of paper: what I see, who made it, when and where, what I can compare it with, and where I found my facts. Then tick the clues in the 3D.
Key formulas and definitions
- Look = observe colour, shape, material, size
- Artist = life, teachers, other works
- Time and place = context of the work
- Compare = same and different
- Sources = primary (from the time) and secondary (later)
- Fact + evidence = a good research sentence
Worked examples
1. You see a small painting with gold leaf and a saint. Name two observation facts you can note without reading anything.
For example: it is small, it uses gold, the figure has a halo. These come from looking only.
2. A letter written by the artist in 1890 says why she painted a field. Is it a primary or secondary source?
Primary. It comes from the time itself and from the artist.
3. A 2015 book explains the same painting. Which type of source is it?
Secondary. It was written much later by a researcher.
4. Why do we compare two works by the same artist?
Comparison shows the artist's habits and how the style changed, and shows what is special about each work.
Common mistakes
- Reading about the work before looking at it yourself.
- Copying a museum label word for word. Write in your own words and name the source.
- Treating one website as the whole truth. Check at least two reliable sources.
- Stating a guess as a fact. Say "may be" when evidence is weak.