How to Reference a Painting in an Essay

By the time you reach college, you are probably aware of the correct way to cite basic and commonly used sources such as periodicals and books, but you might need to draw information from a wider variety of sources, such as paintings. The MLA and Chicago style offer guidelines for correctly citing paintings.

Citing a Painting in MLA Style

Step 1

List the painter's name, followed by a period. For example: Picasso, Pablo.

Step 2

List the title of the painting in italics, followed by a period.

Step 3

List the year the painting was completed, followed by a period.

Step 4

List in italics the name of the institution that houses the work, followed by a comma. For example: The Smithsonian,

Step 5

List the city in which the institution is situated, followed by a period.

Step 6

The finished citation should read: Picasso, Pablo. Man and Blue Guitar. 1936. The Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.

Citing a Painting in Chicago Style