Sound Writing is the official writing handbook on campus, written by student writing advisors and specifically tailored to the needs of Puget Sound students and their faculty.
In addition to supporting the development of successful academic writing skills, Sound Writing also includes sections on research methods, writing in the disciplines, and more.
Sound Writing provides help with three citation styles: MLA, APA, and Chicago (notes & bibliography).
Current Edition: 2020
The Chicago Manual of Style is typically used for art history papers, but it's a good idea to check with faculty and follow the instructions you are given.
The Chicago Manual of Style Online by 
A Short Guide to Writing about Art by 
Looking and Writing by 
The Art of Writing about Art by 
Writing about Art by One common type of writing about art is formal analysis. This approach analyzes a work of art in terms of its visual components: line, texture, space, color, and shape. The following links provide overviews of formal analysis.
Citations are key to participating in the scholarly community. They are a way to converse with other scholars, but they also:
Consult Citation Tools to learn more about different citation styles. Collins Library also supports two knowledge management tools: RefWorks and Zotero.
Image citations should be formatted according to the citation style you are using (Chicago, MLA, APA).
Citations generally include a combination of the following (or as much of it as can be easily determined from the source):
See the following citation examples in Chicago Style, generally used in Art & Art History:
Image from a Book:
Alice Neel, Nancy and the Rubber Plant. 1975, Oil on canvas, 203.2 x 91.3 cm. The Estate of Alice Neel. From: Ann Temkin et al. Alice Neel. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. Plate 64.
Image from ARTstor/JSTOR:
Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Catherine of Alexandria. 1430-1432, Diptych panel, 18.5 x 12 cm. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Available from: ARTstor, http://www.artstor.org (accessed June 19, 2019).
Image from Museum Website:
Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi). The Musicians. Ca. 1595. Oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x 46 5/8 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org (accessed June 19, 2019).
For examples in other citation styles (MLA, APA, etc.), see MIT Libraries' Guide to Citing Images or Simon Fraser University Library's Best practices for citing images.
Content in this box adapted from MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC
College Art Association (CAA)'s Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts
Statement on the fair use of images for teaching research and study outlines best practices on image use
Fair Use Evaluator helps determine whether the use of copyrighted works falls under fair use enables users to use copyrighted works without permission from the copyright holder if it meets the criteria of the four factors.
Start with these sources about academic integrity, but don't hesitate to ask a librarian or your instructor if you have further questions.
