Citing artwork in MLA style involves presenting information about the artwork, its creator, and where you encountered it, so your reader can find it too. This guide will walk you through the process of citing various forms of visual art according to the MLA (Modern Language Association) format. Proper citation is crucial for academic integrity and giving credit where it’s due.
Why Cite Art?
When you include images or discuss artwork in your writing, it’s important to let your readers know where you found this information. This is done through citations. Citing art is about:
- Giving credit: Acknowledging the artist’s work and your sources.
- Avoiding plagiarism: Using someone else’s ideas or images without proper attribution is plagiarism.
- Allowing readers to locate sources: Your citations help others find the same artwork or information you used.
- Adding credibility: Demonstrating that you’ve done your research and engaged with primary sources.
Core Components of MLA Citation for Art
No matter the type of artwork, certain pieces of information are generally required for a complete MLA citation. Think of these as the building blocks.
The Essential Information
For most artworks, you’ll need to gather these key details:
- Artist’s Name: The full name of the creator.
- Title of Artwork: The specific title of the piece. This should be italicized.
- Date of Creation: The year or period the artwork was made.
- Medium: The materials used to create the artwork (e.g., oil on canvas, bronze, digital media).
- Dimensions: The size of the artwork (optional but often helpful).
- Collection/Location: Where the artwork is housed (museum, gallery, private collection).
- Access Information: How you viewed or accessed the artwork (e.g., website URL, exhibition name, book title).
How to Format for Works Cited
Your citations in the “Works Cited” list are the formal records of your sources. The MLA style has specific formatting rules to follow.
General MLA Works Cited Entry Structure:
Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year of Creation. Medium. Collection/Location. Access Information.
Citing Paintings and Sculptures: Specifics
When you’re referencing a painting or sculpture, the core principles remain the same, but the details might shift slightly.
How to Cite Paintings MLA
For a painting, you’ll focus on the artist, the title, the year, the medium, and where it’s located.
Example:
Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Breaking Down the Painting Citation:
- Artist: Van Gogh, Vincent. (Last name, First name)
- Title: Starry Night. (Italicized)
- Year: 1889.
- Medium: Oil on canvas.
- Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York. (This tells readers where to find it physically.)
Citing Sculptures MLA
Similar to paintings, citing sculptures requires the artist, title, date, medium, and location. The medium might specify materials like bronze, marble, or steel.
Example:
Rodin, Auguste. The Thinker. 1904. Bronze, patina. Rodin Museum, Paris.
Breaking Down the Sculpture Citation:
- Artist: Rodin, Auguste.
- Title: The Thinker.
- Year: 1904.
- Medium: Bronze, patina. (Describes the material and finish.)
- Location: Rodin Museum, Paris.
Citing Artwork from Books and Websites
Often, you’ll encounter art through secondary sources like books or online platforms. The citation needs to reflect this.
Citing from a Book
When you see a reproduction of art in a book, your citation should include details about the book itself.
General Structure for Artwork in a Book:
Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year of Creation. Medium. Location. Title of Book. Edited by Editor’s Name(s), Publisher, Year of Publication, Page number(s).
Example:
Monet, Claude. Impression, Sunrise. 1872. Oil on canvas. Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris. Art in the Age of Impressionism. Edited by Robert Hughes, Thames & Hudson, 1998, p. 45.
Explanation:
- The artwork’s details come first: artist, title, date, medium, and original location.
- Then, you cite the book where you saw it: book title, editor, publisher, publication year, and the page number of the artwork.
Citing from a Website
Citing digital art or images found online requires specific information about the website.
General Structure for Artwork on a Website:
Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year of Creation. Medium. Website Name. Publisher (if different from website name), Date of Publication or Last Update, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.
Example:
O’Keeffe, Georgia. Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1. 1932. Oil on canvas. The Art Institute of Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago, 2014, www.artic.edu/artworks/111628/jimson-weed-white-flower-no-1. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Key Points for Website Citations:
- Website Name: This is the name of the site (e.g., The Art Institute of Chicago).
- Publisher: If the publisher is different from the website name, include it. For example, a museum’s website might be published by the museum itself.
- Date: If available, include the date the page was published or last updated.
- URL: Provide the direct web address.
- Access Date: Include the date you viewed the page. This is important because web content can change.
MLA Format Visual Art: Beyond Paintings and Sculptures
The MLA style is adaptable to many forms of visual art. Let’s look at some other common types.
Citing Digital Art MLA
Digital art can include photography, digital paintings, computer-generated images, and more. The core principle is to identify the creator, title, year, medium, and access information.
Example:
Larson, Mark. Glitch in the System. 2018. Digital art. Behance, www.behance.net/gallery/61234567/Glitch-in-the-System. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Considerations for Digital Art:
- Medium: Be specific. “Digital art,” “digital photograph,” “computer-generated image” are good descriptors.
- Platform: If the art is on a specific platform (e.g., Instagram, Behance, a personal website), note that.
Citing Photography MLA
Photographs are cited similarly to other visual artworks.
Example:
Adams, Ansel. Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico. 1941. Gelatin silver print. The Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite National Park.
If you see a photograph online:
Ansel Adams. Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico. 1941. Gelatin silver print. The Ansel Adams Gallery, www.anseladams.com/moonrise. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Citing Performance Art MLA
Citing performance art can be tricky because it’s ephemeral. If you’ve seen a live performance, you might cite it as a personal communication or if there’s a recorded version, cite that.
If you viewed a recorded performance:
Artist’s Name. Title of Performance. Year of Performance. Medium. Performance venue, City. Recording medium or platform. Accessed Date.
Example:
Abramović, Marina. The Artist Is Present. 2010. Performance art. Museum of Modern Art, New York. Recorded video. MoMA Learning, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/marina-abramovic-the-artist-is-present-2010. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.
Citing Art in Your Text (In-Text Citations)
Just like other sources, you need to cite artwork within the body of your paper. This is typically done with the artist’s last name and a page number or figure number if applicable.
How to Cite Artwork in Text
When you refer to a specific artwork, you should include a brief citation in parentheses.
General In-Text Citation Format:
(Artist’s Last Name Page Number) or (Artist’s Last Name) if no page number is available.
Examples:
- Van Gogh’s swirling brushstrokes create a sense of movement and emotion (Starry Night) that is still captivating today.
- The powerful depiction of the human form in Rodin’s The Thinker conveys profound contemplation (Rodin).
When to Cite
- When you use an image of the artwork.
- When you directly quote or paraphrase a description or analysis of the artwork.
- When you refer to the artwork by name.
MLA Citation Guidelines Art: Common Scenarios
Let’s explore some common questions about referencing art MLA.
What if the Artist is Unknown?
If the artist is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the artwork.
Example:
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. c. 1647-1652. Marble. Cornaro Chapel, Rome.
What if the Date is Unknown?
If the exact date is unknown, use the closest approximation. You might use “c.” (circa) for “around” or a range of years.
Example:
Rembrandt van Rijn. Self-Portrait. c. 1665. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, London.
What if I Saw the Artwork in a Museum?
If you viewed the artwork in person and aren’t citing a reproduction, you’ll typically mention this in your text and then cite it in your Works Cited.
In-text: “In my visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was struck by the detail in Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.”
Works Cited: Vermeer, Johannes. Girl with a Pearl Earring. c. 1665. Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis, The Hague.
MLA Style Art Examples: A Quick Reference Table
To make things even clearer, here’s a table summarizing some common MLA style art examples.
| Type of Artwork | Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year. Medium. Location. Access Information. | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Painting (in a book) | Artist. Title. Year. Medium. Location. Book Title. Editor, Publisher, Year, pp. #. | Picasso, Pablo. Guernica. 1937. Oil on canvas. Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid. 20th Century Art. Edited by Helen Gardner, Prentice Hall, 2005, pp. 150-51. |
| Sculpture (online) | Artist. Title. Year. Medium. Website Name. URL. Accessed Date. | Michelangelo. David. 1501-1504. Marble. Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence. Google Arts & Culture, artsandculture.google.com/asset/david-michelangelo/VwFhN3s9f1gTNg. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023. |
| Photograph (from website) | Artist. Title. Year. Medium. Website Name. URL. Accessed Date. | Weston, Edward. Pepper No. 30. 1930. Gelatin silver print. The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/artworks/27396/pepper-no-30. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023. |
| Digital Art (platform) | Artist. Title. Year. Medium. Platform Name. URL. Accessed Date. | Chang, Ken. The Wanderer. 2020. Digital painting. ArtStation, www.artstation.com/artwork/2020/wanderer. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023. |
| Unknown Artist | Title of Artwork. Year. Medium. Location. | The Garden of Earthly Delights. c. 1500-1510. Oil on oak panels. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I cite art from a personal collection?
A: Yes, if you have enough information. You would cite it like a personal item, but MLA prefers published sources. If you are discussing art you own and it’s not published elsewhere, you might treat it as personal observation in your text, but a formal Works Cited entry might not be necessary unless you are citing a catalogue or appraisal of that collection.
Q: What if the artwork is part of a larger exhibition?
A: If you are referencing the exhibition itself, you would cite the exhibition. If you are specifically referencing a piece of art shown in that exhibition, you cite the artwork, noting the exhibition as part of its access information if it’s crucial to how you encountered it.
Q: How detailed should the medium description be?
A: Be as specific as possible. For paintings, include “oil on canvas,” “watercolor,” or “acrylic on board.” For sculptures, mention “bronze,” “marble,” “wood,” or “mixed media.” For digital art, use terms like “digital art,” “digital photography,” or “computer-generated image.”
Q: What if I can’t find the year of creation?
A: If you cannot find the exact year, use the closest approximation possible. Use “c.” (for circa) before the year if it’s an estimate. If it’s a range, use a slash (e.g., 1940s/1950s). If no date information is available at all, you can omit it, but try your best to find it.
Q: How do I cite artwork I saw in a film or documentary?
A: You would cite the film or documentary as your source. For example:
Director’s Last Name, First Name, director. Title of Film. Production Company, Year of Release.
Within your text, you would mention the artwork and the film where you saw it.
Example (In-text): The documentary Ways of Seeing showed how viewers interact with art, particularly highlighting the impact of Renaissance paintings.
Example (Works Cited): Berger, John, director. Ways of Seeing. BBC, 1972.
By following these MLA citation guidelines art, you can effectively and accurately reference visual art in your academic work, ensuring proper credit and clarity for your readers.