
Citing a reproduction of a painting in MLA style requires specific formatting. MLA, or Modern Language Association, is a style commonly used for writing papers and citing sources in the liberal arts and humanities. When citing a reproduction of a painting, it is important to include the artist's name, the title of the work, the year it was created, and the museum or collection where it is located. The format may vary slightly depending on whether the reproduction is from a print source or a website.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Artist's last name, first name |
| Title of Artwork | Title of the painting (in italics) |
| Year of Creation | Year |
| Museum or Gallery | Name of the museum or gallery, city of the museum or gallery |
| URL | https:// (no need to include http://) |
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What You'll Learn

Citing a reproduction of a painting in a book
When citing a reproduction of a painting in a book, you should follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guidelines. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
Artist Information:
Begin the citation with the artist's last name, followed by a comma and their first name. For example: "Rembrandt, Harmensz van Rijn".
After the artist's name, include the title of the painting. If the artwork is untitled, provide a generic description. For instance: "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer".
Year of Creation:
The next element is the year the artwork was created, which is followed by a comma. In the example, it would be: "1653,".
Institution and Location:
Next, mention the name of the institution or private collection where the original artwork is housed, followed by the city where this institution is located. For instance: "Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York".
Book Information:
After providing the details of the original artwork, you need to cite the bibliographic information for the book in which the reproduction appears. Start by listing the author or editor's full name. Then, include the book's title in italics. Provide the publication city and publisher, followed by the publication year and page or reference numbers (plate, figure, etc.). Here is an example:
> Feyman. By Jim Ottavani, illustrated by Leland Myrick, First Second, 2011, p. 75.
Medium and Other Details:
Finally, you can include the medium of the original artwork and any other relevant details as optional elements. For instance, "Oil on canvas".
> Rembrandt, Harmensz van Rijn. Aristotle with a Bust of Homer. 1653, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Gardner's Art Through the Ages, by Fred S. Kleiner, Wardsworth, 1994, p. 666. Oil on canvas.
Remember, this format can be adapted depending on the specific details available for the artwork and the book. Always refer to the latest MLA guidelines to ensure your citations are accurate and conform to the most recent standards.
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Citing a reproduction from a website
When citing a reproduction of a painting from a website in MLA style, you should include the following information:
- Artist's name: Start with the artist's last name, followed by a comma and then their first name. Middle names or initials should come after the first name and be separated by a space.
- Title of the artwork: The title of the painting should be in italics. If the artwork is untitled, provide a generic description without italicizing or capitalizing each word.
- Year of creation: Include the year the painting was created, followed by a comma.
- Museum or collection: Mention the name of the museum or collection where the original painting is housed, followed by a comma. You can omit the city if it is part of the museum or collection name.
- Website name: Include the name of the website from which you accessed the reproduction, followed by a comma.
- URL: Provide the URL of the specific webpage containing the reproduction. You can omit "http://", and the URL should not be italicized or placed within quotation marks.
Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/.
Note that if the painting you are citing is in a book, you should also include the bibliographic information for the source, including the author or editor's name, publication details, and page or reference numbers. Additionally, you may include the medium and materials of the artwork if they are relevant to your paper.
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Artist name format
The artist's name is a crucial element in citing a reproduction of a painting in MLA style. The format for the artist's name is as follows:
Last name, First name.
The artist's last name should be written first, followed by a comma, and then their first name. This format is consistent with how the author of a book is typically listed in MLA style.
For example, for a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, the artist's name would be cited as:
Van Gogh, Vincent.
If the artist has a middle name or initial, it can be included after their first name, like so:
Matisse, Henri J.
In the in-text citations, the artist's full name is used on the first occurrence. In subsequent citations, only the surname is used. For example:
"In Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night, the swirling brushstrokes create a sense of movement."
"The intense hues in Van Gogh's Starry Night capture the beauty of a star-filled sky."
When creating a Works Cited entry, the artist's name is listed with their surname first, followed by their given name(s). For example:
Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
This format ensures that the artist's name is presented consistently and clearly in MLA style, allowing for easy identification and reference within the text and in the Works Cited section.
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Title format
The title of the artwork should be in italics. If the work is untitled, provide a generic description and do not italicise or capitalise each word. For example: "Westwood, Vivian. Lime green, faux crocodile".
If you are citing a reproduction of a work of visual art from a print source, the title of the artwork should be followed by the year of creation, the name of the institution or private collection housing the artwork, the title of the print source, the author/editor's first and last name, the publication city, the publisher, the year, the page/plate number, and the medium of reproduction.
For example: "Kahlo, Frida. The Two Fridas. 1939. Museo de Art Moderno, Mexico City. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. Ed. Darrel Sewell. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art in assn. with Yale UP, 2001. Plate 91. Print."
If you are citing a reproduction of a work of visual art from a website, the title of the artwork should be followed by the year, the name of the museum or collection, the name of the website, and the URL. For example: "Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800. Museo del Prado. www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/.
If the website title and the publisher are essentially the same, you can leave out the publisher. If there is no date of publication for the website, use the date you accessed it instead.
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Museum or collection details
When citing a reproduction of a painting in MLA style, it is essential to include the museum or collection details as part of the reference. Here are some detailed guidelines and examples for including this information:
Museum or Collection Name:
Provide the full and official name of the museum or collection where the painting is housed. For example:
- Museum of Modern Art
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Private Collection
If the painting is located in a gallery within a museum, include the gallery name followed by the museum name. For instance:
- Yale University Gallery, New Haven
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
City of the Museum or Collection:
Include the city where the museum or collection is located. For example:
- New York City
- Mexico City
- Houston, Texas
You can omit the city if it is part of the museum or collection name. For instance, "Museo del Prado" includes the city ("Prado" meaning "meadow" is a common name for parks and art galleries in Spanish), so the city ("Madrid" in this case) can be left out.
Additional Details:
In certain cases, you may include additional details about the painting's location within the museum or collection. For example, if the painting is in a specific wing or department, you can specify that:
"Department of Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, New York"
Online Collections:
If you accessed a reproduction of the painting through an online collection or database, include the name of the website and the URL. For instance:
"Museo del Prado, www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-family-of-carlos-iv/"
For URLs, you can omit "http://", and if the website title and publisher are the same, you can leave out the publisher.
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Frequently asked questions
Begin the citation as you would for the original artwork and then cite the bibliographic information for the book, including page or reference numbers.
For example:
> Van Gogh, Vincent. Night Café. 1889, Yale University Gallery, New Haven. Gardener's Art Through the Ages v. II, 13 ed., by Fred S. Kleiner, Wardsworth, 1994, p. 666.
Cite the name of the artist, the title of the work, the year, the location of the work, the name of the website, the publisher or sponsoring organisation, the date of publication or last modified date, and the URL.
For example:
> Da Vinci, Leonardo. Last Supper. 1498, Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan. "The Last Supper," by Harris, Beth and Steven Zucker, Khan Academy, 2015, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/early-europe-and-colonial-americas/renaissance-art-europe-ap/a/leonardo-last-supper. Accessed 14 July 2018.
If you're referring to the image but not including it in your paper, you must provide an in-text citation and include an entry in your Works Cited list.
For example:
> Goya, Francisco. The Family of Charles IV. 1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid.











































