MLA 9th Edition · Painting
How to Cite A Painting in MLA 9th Edition
MLA 9th Edition treats a painting as a containerized work: artist or creator, italicized title, date, and the website or museum that hosts it. Humanities courses usually want an Accessed date for online paintings. Painting entries live or die on museum provenance: collection name and city matter as much as the artist.
Image Citation Generator
MLA Style
9th Edition (Section 5.34)💡 "Copy Formatted" copies with HTML styling so pasting into Microsoft Word or Google Docs retains italicized titles and indentation automatically.
MLA 9th formula for a painting
Creator Last Name, First Name. Title of Work in Title Case. Year. Website or Museum, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year.
Italics: Italicize artwork and photograph titles in title case; website names are also italicized as containers. Year position: After the title, as its own element (not in parentheses).
Worked example
In-text citation
(van Gogh)
Template: (Creator) or (Creator, fig. X)
Figure caption
Fig. 1. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889, The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/works/79802.
Special rules for paintings
- List medium and dimensions when Chicago or museum-style detail is expected.
- If you viewed a museum website reproduction, still name the holding institution.
- Italicize the painting title; keep the medium description in roman type.
Source of truth: The museum or collection that holds the original work, including city when required.
Common mistakes
- Citing Wikimedia Commons as the creator instead of the artist and museum.
- Dropping the city of the museum in Chicago-style notes.
- Title-casing APA titles that should be sentence case.
FAQ
How do you cite a painting in MLA 9th?
Build one MLA 9th reference from creator → date → title → “Oil on canvas” → host. Then paste the finished string into your reference list; do not leave the format field blank or point to a search-results URL.
What is the in-text citation for a painting in MLA 9th?
Match the creator spelling used in the reference entry and apply (Creator) or (Creator, fig. X). If the painting is labeled as a numbered figure in the paper, add that figure number only where your instructor’s MLA 9th handout allows.
Do I need a figure caption when I include a painting in my paper (MLA 9th)?
Only if you reprint the visual. A mention in prose needs in-text + reference list; a reproduced painting also needs a numbered caption so readers can connect the picture on the page to the bibliography entry.
Where should I look for source details for a painting?
Start on the object or article page that displays the painting, then read the credit line, about panel, or download metadata. Skip aggregator cards and thumbnail feeds—they rarely carry a citable creator or permanent link.
What is a common mistake when citing paintings in MLA 9th?
Students often citing Wikimedia Commons as the creator instead of the artist and museum. Another frequent miss: treating a cropped social share as the publisher of record.
How is citing a painting different from citing a generic online photo in MLA 9th?
A generic photo citation can stop at photographer + site + URL. For paintings, you also have to capture list medium and dimensions when Chicago or museum-style detail is expected. That extra field is what keeps the entry recoverable.