Does Art History Use MLA?

Art|Art History

Art history is an academic field of study that studies the development and history of art. It focuses on the visual arts, such as painting, sculpture, and architecture, as well as the decorative arts. Art historians use a variety of methods to analyze artworks and their historical contexts, including formal analysis, iconography, and stylistic analysis.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is a widely accepted format for writing in the humanities. It is commonly used by college students in research papers and other written assignments. The MLA style includes a set of rules for formatting documents, citing sources, and creating bibliographies.

Art historians may not use MLA style when writing about artworks or their historical context. Instead, they often use a combination of formal analysis and contextual analysis when writing about works of art. Formal analysis involves looking at the elements of an artwork such as line, color, texture, shape, form, space, etc., to understand its meaning. Contextual analysis involves placing an artwork within its historical context to understand its meaning in relation to its time period and culture.

Art historians also often use specialized terminology when discussing works of art or their historical context. This terminology may not be found in the MLA style guide and must be learned through study of the field.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, while art history does not generally use MLA style when writing about works of art or their historical context due to its focus on formal and contextual analysis rather than citing sources or creating bibliographies, it does rely on specialized terminology that is not found in the MLA Style Guide.