We all put off studying and researching topics that we know is going to bore, or stress, us. But with this list (which will be continually updated) some of the work has been done for you. No longer will you need to stare mindlessly, scrolling up and down, results from internet searches *phew*.
Smarthistory
This is an art history site which will see a newbie to art straight. They have collaborated with a wide variety of British and American institutions, such as The British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Tate. At the core of Smarthistory is 'debate and enquiry' about visual arts and their histories; an aspect of art which is often forgotten and under-utilised to those who do not 'get' it. Art is not exclusive because it is is subjective! Basically, if you think a piece of art is S**t, then all you need to do is explain why for it to be reasonable ... to a degree.
Smarthistory is set into three sections; understanding art (or how to look at it and understand what is being presented), the movements and styles in visual art, and themes and topics, which include issues such as the destruction of it due to war; all of which are contributed by academics and art historians.
Museum with no Frontiers
When studying art, formal analysis and object biography can be some of the most mind-frazzling experiences but key resources can give you a leg up before you even begin writing one. The Museum with no Frontiers shows how material objects, that includes art, are both a product and catalyst of cultural exchange; or 'cross-fertilisation'. Each piece of art and material culture features an object biography and its spans architecture, jewellery, musical instruments, calligraphy and fine art (and so much more)! With high resolution images of art and cultural objects, and clear pictures of architecture, your initial analysis and description will be made easier; as would comparison to other work of the same region and period. The most useful to anyone studying the arts and its histories would be the Sharing History project of the Virtual Museum and the MWNF Database; updated by their university and academic collaborators and partners.
ThoughtCo.
Art history guide
To anyone who uses the internet for research and/ or learning (which is most of us, right) ThoughtCo. is an amazing reference site which is focussed around answering specific questions in the form of essays and or videos; created in collaboration with academics. It is the ThoughtCo. Art History Guide which will be most of use as it features a large quantity of quality biographies about Western artists and Western art movements and styles. This sites is meant to spark your curiosity and does it well!
The Art Story
Modern art is more than the contemporary pop-culture inspired works of Koons or the installations of Weiwei. It is also Toulouse-Latrec, Klimt, Dali and Laurencin. The Art Story is a key resource for those who want to understand how art has developed in the modern world to become the mind-boggling installations that get the tongues of the media wagging!