In-Text Citations
In-Text Citation Basics
Refer to a work of art using the following format:
Artist/Creator, Title (Figure #)
Assign figure numbers in order as each new image is first referenced in the text. Include the figure number when you cite the images at the end of the text.
Ex.: Niccolò Vicentino’s Adoration of the Magi (Fig.5) is a woodcut depicting several figures kneeling beside the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus.
MLA Citation
Reproduced vs. Referenced
Images Reproduced in a Text
If you are physically placing the image in your paper or presentation, then the images is being reproduced in your text. In that case, you’ll need:
- A figure number (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.), and
- To include the artist/creator, title, date, medium, publisher, page number, and figure/plate number.
Images Referenced in a Text
If you are describing an image of a work of art but are NOT physcially placing the image in your paper or presentation, then the image is being referenced in your text. In that case, you will include the following information on your Works Cited page without figure numbers:
- The artist/creator, title, date, medium, repository, location;
- URL citations are optional, but highly recommended.
Chicago Manual of Style Citation
Chicago Manual of Style – 14.235
Citation information about works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and photographs, can usually be presented in the text rather than by way of a note or bibliography. Include as much information as is available:
- A figure number (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.), and
- The artist/creator, title, date, medium, repository, location.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Written by, or adapted from, the references listed on the Additional Resources Page (current as of November 2019).