How to Reference Art in an Essay

The reference to art in an essay is simple enough if you adhere to some core principles. You’re talking about a painting, sculpture, photograph, or installation, so you want to credit the artist and their work properly. This not only gives recognition to the artist but also strengthens your arguments and ideas. Below, I’ll detail the fundamental process for quoting art in your writing. If you need extra help, you can always turn to professional essay writers for hire. Academized offers a service that connects students with experienced writers to assist with their essays, helping ensure academic success through proper referencing and well-structured arguments.

Get What Referencing Art is for

You should reference the art in your essay both for crediting the artist and for allowing the reader to locate the original source if they wish. You pay homage to the artist by referencing their work and make your viewer aware of the artwork context. And it also stops plagiarisation – a valuable disciplinary norm.

Select the Information You Need

You need some basic information before you can refer to an artwork correctly. Typically, you’ll include the following:

Name of Artist Name

It’s essential to know the artist by whose name the work is created. You will always use their last name and, if needed, “Sir” or “Dr.”

Artwork Title Title Description

Always put italics next to the title. This puts the artwork’s title apart from the rest of the text and makes it clear.

Create Date

Include the year of production if the date of production relates to your argument. For instance, when talking about what the political meaning of a painting made during the war has, its production date is useful context. In cases where you’re pressed for time or need expert guidance, you might also consider turning to the best essay writing services to ensure your essay reflects accurate and relevant details.

Medium

There is artwork everywhere, oil paintings to virtual sculptures. Not to talk about the material (oil on canvas, marble, digital print, etc.) could apply if the medium informs your analysis.

Place or Control

The vast majority are in museums, galleries or private collections. Figuring out the house in which the painting resides guides the reader to the piece. If it’s online art, you can also provide the url.

Select the Right Citation Style

The different disciplinary streams have different citation norms. You’ll want to use the one your class or university requires. Now, a quick introduction to the ways of citing artwork in some common genres:

Citation Style Key Elements Description Examples

Art In the Text Reference Art Inside the Text

Once you grasp the semblance of the citing style, you should think about citing art within the essay itself. Images are typically italicised within the text of your message and if necessary, the artist name and date are quoted in parentheses. For instance:

‘Pablo Picasso, in Guernica (1937), evokes war violence with clean geometric lines and muted colours.’

This allows your readers to skip ahead and refer to more in your bibliography.

Take a Look at How You Talk About the Artwork

Besides technical citations, consider how you talk about the work. Descriptions should be short and sweet, and they need to be in your case. Don’t use fancy, or unnecessary language. Rather, ask what the art is trying to convey and how it makes sense to you.

For instance, instead of stating:

‘Its brushstrokes have this movement, it seems to dance on the heart, with the pain of the soul.’

Or you could say:

‘The ebb and flow of Van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) has the effect of motion, of a lively mental life.

Always link the piece of art’s argument back to your thesis or argument in your essay.

Upload Photos If You’re Needing One

Depending on your essay topic, photos of the painting will aid you in supporting your argument. And, if you’re posting pictures, make sure you have the correct captions, including the artist name, italicised title, date and ownership. To give an example:

Figure 1: Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid.

Pictures must be in close proximity to the words they are attributed to, and must be mentioned at the end of the essay in an order of figures or illustrations.

How to Reference Art in a Digital Context

Especially with digital art and digital galleries on the rise, you must know how to quote art digitally. In case you are citing an online image, enter the artist name, title in italics, medium (if applicable), website name and URL. Let me explain:

“Beeple’s Everydays: The First 5000 Days (2021) is available at https://www.christies.com,” Christie’s website informs us.

So readers can quickly get the digital copy for themselves.

Conclusion

It doesn’t need to be complicated to cite art in an essay. If you’re going to gather information such as the artist’s name, title and date, and also reference in whatever format you prefer, you will make sure your essay stays on topic. No matter, if you’re discussing a celebrated masterpiece or an unknown author, citing properly will make you seem more credible and enable your audience to follow along. Be consistent, factual, and explicit in citations.