
Citing a painting in Chicago style requires a bit more information than citing a book. The information you will need includes the artist's surname and first name, the title of the painting (in italics), the year of creation, the medium and support, the name of the museum or gallery, the city of the museum or gallery, and the URL. For example, a painting viewed in person would be cited as follows: Buonarroti, Michelangelo. *The Slave*. 1513-15. Marble, 2.09 m. Paris, The Louvre. If you find an image of a painting on a website, you would use the following format: Delaroche, Paul. *Portrait of a Woman*. 1829. Pastel drawing, 10 by 12 in. (Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC). In *European Drawings from the Collection of the Ackland Art Museum*, by Carol C. Gillham and Carolyn H. Wood. Chapel Hill: The Museum, University of North Carolina.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Figure Number | Fig. # |
| Artist's Last Name | Artist Surname |
| Artist's First Name | Artist First Name |
| Title of Work | Title of Artwork or a description if untitled (in italics) |
| Medium | Oil on canvas, marble, etc. |
| Date of Creation | Year |
| Location of Work | Location or Owner of Work, City |
| URL | Website URL |
Explore related products
$25
What You'll Learn

Citing a painting viewed in person
When citing a painting viewed in person, you should include as much of the following information as possible:
- Title of Artwork (in italics) or a description if there is no title (not in italics)
- Artist's Last Name, Artist's First Name
- Date of Creation
- Medium and support
- Dimensions
- Location of Work (Institution/City/Owner)
For example:
> Fig. 1. Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Slave, 1513-15, marble, 2.09 m. Paris, The Louvre.
Or
> Fig. 3. William Sheridan Young, "Evening on the Cheat," oil on canvas. West Virginia Historical Art Collection, West Virginia University Libraries.
Note that if you are planning to publish your work formally, you must investigate whether the image is under copyright and obtain permission from the copyright holder if necessary.
Also, check with your instructor about how they want you to cite images, as it may differ from these instructions.
Fixing Wavy Clearcoat Auto Paint Like a Pro
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Citing a painting found online
When citing a painting found online in Chicago style, you should include as much of the following information as possible:
- A figure and caption: Label the painting with "Fig." and an Arabic numeral (e.g., Fig. 1). Place a caption near the figure, including the following information.
- Artist's name: Write the artist's name with their last name first, followed by a comma, and then their first name.
- Title of the painting: Italicize the title of the painting or, if there is no title, provide a description (do not italicize the description).
- Medium and support: Include the materials used to create the painting, followed by the dimensions (you may use metric or imperial measurements).
- Date of creation: List the year the painting was completed. If no date is provided, use "n.d."
- Location and ownership: Mention the name of the museum or gallery where the painting is housed, followed by the city. If the painting is in a private collection, you can use "Private collection" instead of a location.
- URL and access date: Provide the URL of the website where you accessed the painting. Include an access date if there is no listed publication date for the source, formatted as "Accessed Month Day, Year."
Fig. 1. Vincent van Gogh, *The Starry Night*, 1889, oil on canvas, 29 in. x 36 ¼ in., Museum of Modern Art, New York, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78426, accessed August 12, 2007.
Please note that you should always check with your instructor about their preferred format for citing images, as there may be slight variations in style. Additionally, if you plan to reproduce an image publicly, be sure to investigate copyright information and obtain permission from the copyright holder if necessary.
Creating Transparent Backgrounds in Paint Tool Sai
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Including the artist's name
When citing a painting in Chicago style, it is important to include as much of the following information as possible:
First, write the artist's name, with their last name first, followed by a comma, and then their first name. For example, "Gogh, Vincent van".
Next, include the title of the painting in italics. If there is no title, provide a description, but do not italicize it. For example, *The Starry Night* or "Man and boy fishing in the Ohio River".
Date of Creation
After the title, list the year the painting was completed. If no date is provided, use "n.d." For example, "1889" or "September 14, 1929".
Medium and Support
Then, list the materials used to make the artwork in sentence case. For example, "oil on canvas" or "marble".
Dimensions
Include the dimensions of the painting. You may use metric or imperial measurements, but be sure to keep them consistent throughout your paper. If this information is not available, simply leave it out. For example, "29 in. x 36 ¼ in." or "2.09 m".
Location of Work
Finally, list the name of the museum or gallery where the painting is housed, followed by the city where the institution is located. For example, "Museum of Modern Art, New York" or "Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York".
> Fig. 1. Gogh, Vincent van. *The Starry Night*. 1889. Oil on canvas. 29 in. x 36 ¼ in. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Mimic's Painting Puzzle: Solving the Mystery
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Referencing the title and date
When referencing the title and date of a painting in Chicago style, it is important to follow a specific format. The general structure is as follows:
Artist's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Painting," Date of Creation.
For example: Van Gogh, Vincent. "The Starry Night," 1889.
Note that the artist's name is written with their last name first, followed by a comma and then their first name. The title of the painting should be in italics if possible, and the date of creation should be included if known. If the date is unknown, you can use "n.d." to indicate that it is not dated.
In addition to the basic information above, you may also include further details such as the medium, dimensions, location of the artwork, and the source of the image if it was reproduced from a publication. Here is an example with more detailed information:
Buonarroti, Michelangelo. "The Slave," 1513-15. Marble, 2.09 m. The Louvre, Paris.
In this example, the medium (marble), dimensions (2.09 metres), location (The Louvre, Paris) and source of the image (in person) are included.
It is important to be consistent in your formatting and to include as much relevant information as possible when referencing a painting in Chicago style.
Toolbar Troubleshoot: Paint SAI's Missing Tools
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Adding copyright information
When citing a painting or artwork in Chicago Style, it is important to consider adding copyright information. This is particularly relevant if you are reproducing the image publicly in your work.
Firstly, check if the image is under copyright. If it is, you must obtain permission from the copyright holder before reproducing it. You can then add a credit line or caption to your image, acknowledging the copyright owner. For example, "(© 2011 The Willem de Kooning Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)".
In Chicago Style, images are typically referred to as "figures". Each image should be labelled with "Fig." followed by a number, in the order in which it appears. For example, "Fig. 1". This figure number is then used in the caption, which should also include relevant information about the artwork, such as the title, artist, date, medium, size, location, and owner or collection.
> Fig. 1. Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889, oil on canvas, 29 in. x 36 ¼ in., Museum of Modern Art, New York (© Year by Museum of Modern Art, New York).
If you viewed the artwork in person, you can include the URL of the museum's webpage for the painting, if available.
Remember to check with your instructor or style guide for specific requirements or variations in the Chicago Style citation format.
Bright Morning Skies: Acrylic Painting Techniques
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Write the artist’s name with their last name first, followed by a comma and then their first name. Next, list the year the painting was completed. Then, include the title of the painting, the materials used, and the dimensions. Finally, put the name of the museum where the painting is housed, followed by the city where the museum is located.
For example:
> Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Slave, 1513-15, marble, 2.09 m. Paris, The Louvre.
If you find an image of the work of art on a website, book, or article, use the following format:
> Artist Surname, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year of Creation. Materials Used. Dimensions. Name of Website, URL.
For example:
> Delaroche, Paul. "Portrait of a Woman," 1829. Pastel drawing, 10 by 12 in. (Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC). In European Drawings from the Collection of the Ackland Art Museum, by Carol C. Gillham and Carolyn H. Wood. Chapel Hill: The Museum, University of North Carolina, accessed January 5, 2011, http://www.example.com.
If you insert an image into your paper, put the citation information in a caption under the image instead of in a footnote. Label the image with "Fig." followed by the figure number.
For example:
> Fig. 1. Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Slave, 1513-15, marble, 2.09 m. Paris, The Louvre.
If the painting does not have a title, provide a description of the artwork instead. For example:
> Leutze, Emmanuel. Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851. Oil on canvas, 376.2 x 548.6 cm. The Met, New York. www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417.
You can include the painting in your bibliography as follows:
> Artist Surname, Artist Forename. Title. Format. City: Gallery, Year Published.
For example:
> October; The Labours Of The Months. Stained Glass Roundel. Norwich, United Kingdom: V&A Museum, 2013.











































