Cite Your Sources

The citation for a work of art should include...

Artist. Title of Artwork. Year. Name of Website, Publisher, URL.

The caption under the image can be...

1. A complete citation (if you use a complete citation as a caption, you do not have to include the citation on your Works Cited list).

2. A brief caption that includes the Artist. Title of Artwork. Year. (if you use a brief caption, a complete citation must be included on the Works Cited list).

NOTE: In a caption under the image, names should be listed in first name last name format.

Example of Figure Citation and Caption for IB Visual Arts Student

For the Visual Arts, an image citation should include the following information (when known):

Artist, title, date, medium (i.e. oil on canvas) and source. 

Example: Text

Edvard Munch's The Scream powerfully captures the universal anxiety and existential dread of modern life through its distorted forms, vibrant colors, and the figure's agonized expression (see fig. 1).

Example: Image Label and Caption (two options)

Fig 1. Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893. Oil, tempera, pastel and crayon on cardboard.

or...

Fig 1. Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893. Oil, tempera, pastel and crayon on cardboard. Nasjonalmuseet, www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/stories/explore-the-collection/edvard-munch-and-the-scream-in-the-national-museum.

Example: Works Cited 

Munch, Edvard. The Scream. 1893. Oil, tempera, pastel and crayon on cardboard. Nasjonalmuseet, www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/stories/explore-the-collection/edvard-munch-and-the-scream-in-the-national-museum.

For artwork, provide the artist's name, the title of the artwork in italics, and the date of composition. Finally, provide the name of the institution that houses the artwork followed by the location of the institution (if the location is not listed in the name of the institution, e.g. The Art Institute of Chicago).

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid.

If the medium and/or materials (e.g., oil on canvas) are important to the reference, you can include this information at the end of the entry. However, it is not required.

For photographic reproductions of artwork (e.g. images of artwork in a book or website), treat the book or website as a container. Remember that for a second container, the title is listed first, before the contributors. Cite the bibliographic information as above followed by the information for the source in which the photograph appears, including page or reference numbers (plate, figure, etc.).

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid. Gardener's Art Through the Ages, 10^th ed., by Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner, Harcourt Brace, p. 939.

If you viewed the artwork on the museum's website, treat the name of the website as the container and include the website's publisher and the URL at the end of the citation. Omit publisher information if it is the same as the name of the website. Note the period after the date below, rather than the comma: this is because the date refers to the painting's original creation, rather than to its publication on the website. Thus, MLA format considers it an "optional element."

Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado, museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/f47898fc-aa1c-48f6-a779-71759e417e74.

Source: “MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources.” Purdue OWL®, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_other_common_sources.html#:~:text=A%20
Painting%2C%20Sculpture%2C%20or%20Photograph,name%20of%20the%20institution%2C%20e.g. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Academic Honesty in the Comparative Study (Visual Arts Guide 2014, updated 2017):

• Basic Rules:

  • You must use reliable sources to support your ideas and interpretations.
  • Include a list of sources and use in-text citations throughout your study.
  • Follow the school’s chosen referencing system for all citations [MLA].
     

• Choosing Artworks and Referencing:

  • Pick artworks you can find reliable information about and refer to in your study.
  • Just listing your sources isn’t enough—you must cite them wherever you use them.
  • Always give credit for any text, image, or idea that isn’t your own, using proper citation.
     

• Referencing Images:

  • Every image must include details like the title, artist, medium, date (if known), and where you found it, following the school’s citation style [MLA].
  • If you include your own artwork (for HL students), you need to label and credit it properly too.
     

• Using Other Artists’ Work:

  • If you copy or base your work on another artist’s piece (appropriation), you must clearly identify the original and explain how you used it in your project.

Source: “Visual Arts: Comparative study assessment criteria clarification.” IBO, resources.ibo.org/data/d_6_visar_fcl_1702_3cc_e.pdf.