When referencing artwork, citing sources is an important part of art history. Without citation, it can be difficult to determine the original source for any given work of art. There are several different citation styles used in art history, including Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), Modern Language Association (MLA), and American Psychological Association (APA).
Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is one of the most commonly used citation styles in art history. This style requires authors to cite both the artist who created the artwork and the institution which owns it.
The format for a CMS citation typically includes the artist’s name, title of artwork in italics, date or period when it was created, medium or materials used, and the museum or collection which owns it. For example:
Picasso, Pablo. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.
1907. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Modern Language Association
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is another popular method for citing artwork in art history courses. This style differs from CMS because it does not require authors to include information about the institution which owns the artwork; however, it does require authors to cite both the artist who created it and its title in italics along with year or period when it was created and medium or materials used.
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is similar to MLA but with a few key differences; namely that APA requires authors to include both author’s name and institutional affiliation as well as year or period when artwork was created and medium or materials used in their citations. For example:
Picasso, P., The Museum of Modern Art, New York .(1907). Les Demoiselles d’Avignon [Oil on canvas].
While there are several different citation styles used in art history courses around the world, all have one thing in common: they help scholars properly attribute sources for works of art so that others can find them easily and accurately cite them when needed!
In conclusion, when referencing artwork in an art history course there are three main citation styles that are commonly used: Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), Modern Language Association (MLA), and American Psychological Association (APA). All three formats require authors to include artist’s name along with other relevant information such as title of work, year/period created, medium/materials used depending on which format is being followed.