Perhaps the best way to proceed is to first select a category within this massive discipline, and to identify an area of interest within it. Fine Art can be divided into three broad genres - portraiture, still life & landscape. Although many contemporary artists resist such categorisation there are always links to be made between their practice and older works that fit within these genres.
When you've selected your genre, then it's all about identifying a theme, issue or technique to explore in your own inimitable style. For example, if you're interested in portraiture you could compare the approaches to the depiction of class by British artists.
Bill Brandt and Banksy both represented working class servants - one in a far more tongue-in-cheek manner!
Thomas Gainsborough painted the aristocracy in the 18th Century. Yinka Shonibare is a contemporary Nigerian-British artist who questions issues and pre-conceptions about class and race by making clothes similar to the ones seen in Gainsborough's work out of African textiles.
Happy Researching!
R Davies
