Use these reference sources for an overview of the artistic, social, cultural, and historical context for the art work. This is also a great way to get ideas for developing a paper topic, argument, or research question.
Visual and Art Historical Context
Historical Context
Iconography, Symbols, Motifs, Mythology
The Art of Zen by 
Buddhism by 
Inside Tibetan Buddhism by 
Living Images by 
Mudra by 
Taoism and the Arts of China by 
Sources of Japanese Tradition by 
