How do you put a title on an artwork?
Final Tips on Naming Art
- Avoid cliche, unless used for irony.
- Be appropriate to the scale and spirit of the piece.
- Don’t be pretentious.
- Give your viewer information without stating the obvious.
- State the obvious if you must, to identify the piece.
- Shorter is generally better. Let the art do the talking.
How do you write the title of an artwork in MLA?
The MLA Style Center Ascribed titles of works of art from other periods are styled in italics.

How do you label artwork in an essay?
Your label should include:
- Artist’s name.
- Nationality, birth year (Optional.
- Title of the artwork (in bold or italic), year created.
- Medium used to create (ex: crayon on paper)
- Brief description (This is where you can include any information about the artist, why they created the piece, how they created the piece, etc.)
Are titles of artwork italicized?
Generally, titles of artworks, books, and publications are italicized.
Are artwork titles italicized?
Do you italicize art titles?

Where do you put the title of a painting?
If it’s a print many artists will sign along the bottom border with edition number on the left or right, title in the middle and signature opposite left or right of the edition number.
Does Mona Lisa need to be italicized?
That might sound a bit corny, but it will help you remember. Individual works of art, like paintings and sculptures, are underlined or italicized: Michelangelo’s David. Mona Lisa.
Do you put quotes around art titles?
Visual artwork, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, mixed media, and whatnot, is italicized, never put in quotation marks. Thus, Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Rodin’s The Thinker both have italics. The one exception to this policy is the title of your own unpublished student essay at the top of the first page.
Do you italicize artwork in MLA?
Yes, you would italicize the title of the work of art in your citation just as you would a book title.
How do you punctuate art titles?
Should artwork titles be in quotes?
Titles of paintings and sculptures should be italicized, but photographs in quotation marks. If you viewed the artwork in another source and not first-hand you may have to identify the source.
Are art show titles italicized?
Use italics for the titles of art exhibitions. The Dimensions in Pop exhibition will run through March. Exhibition, not exhibit, is the preferred term for a public showing of art and other creative works. Faculty titles are lowercase unless the title precedes a name.
Do you italicize art titles MLA?