The IB specifically states that VA students must acknowledge all their sources and reference them appropriately. In this guide you will find support on the following:
The IB provide the following guidelines for demonstrating academic integrity in the process journal:
1. Every image used must be appropriately referenced to acknowledge the title, artist, medium, date (where this information is known) and the source
2. Candidates must ensure that their own original work is identified and acknowledged in the same way
3. When the candidate is aware that another person’s work, ideas or images have influenced his or her conceptual or developmental work ... the source must be cited at point of use and... included in a list of sources
4. Candidates must declare when an image in the final version of the work is also used in part 3: exhibition assessment task
5. Where deliberately appropriating another artist’s work, candidates must fully acknowledge the original work and make explicit reference to the appropriation process
6. Any found object or image (including those taken from the Internet) used as inspiration by candidates when creating their artwork must be appropriately referenced
("Visual Arts: Process portfolio assessment criteria clarification")
The IB provide the following guidelines for demonstrating academic integrity in the comparative study:
1. Candidates are required to submit list of sources used and in-text referencing is required throughout the comparative study
2. Every source must be referenced at point of use in the comparative study
3. Any work – text or image - and idea of others that has contributed to the completion of the comparative study should be referenced
4. Every image used must be appropriately referenced to acknowledge the title, artist, medium and date (where this information is known) and the source
5. When HL candidates include any images of their own original work these must also be identified and acknowledged in the same way
6. Where deliberately appropriating another artist’s work, HL candidates must fully acknowledge the original work and make explicit reference to the appropriation process
("Visual Arts: Comparative Study Assessment Criteria Clarification")
For the Visual Arts, an image citation should include the following information (when known):
Artist, title, date, medium (i.e. oil on canvas) and source.
Example: Text
These subtle shifts in color gradients produce a naturalistic effect and are well demonstrated in Da Vinci's famous painting of the Mona Lisa (see fig. 1).
Example: Works Cited
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503-1519, oil on wood (poplar). Louvre, focus.louvre.fr/en/la-joconde/observer/mona-lisa- sitting-her-loggia#page=info. Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
Example: Image Label and Caption (two options)
Fig. 1. Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa, c.1503-1519, oil on wood (poplar)
or...
Fig. 1. Leonardo Da Vinci. Mona Lisa. 1503-1519, oil on wood (poplar). Louvre, focus.louvre.fr/en/la-joconde/observer/mona-lisa- sitting-her-loggia#page=info. Accessed 24 Aug. 2021.
Introduction to Citation for the Visual Arts
The elements that make up an artwork citation are similar to other sources...
| Author. | The name of the artist |
| Title of Source. | The name of the artwork. If the artwork has no name you can write a descriptive title instead. |
| Title of Container. | The title of the website, book, exhibition, social media app that the artwork was published on, if applicable. |
| Contributor, | - |
| Version, | - |
| Number. | - |
| Publisher, | The publisher for the website, book, exhibition, social media app that the artwork was published on, if applicable. |
| Publication Date, |
Date the artwork was produced. Date range: If necessary include a date range. Approximate dates: If the source gives an approximate date (i.e. circa 1500) record the date as given. If you are provided with a date like 'early 12th century' include it but write it out like 'early twelfth century' (MLA Handbook 9th ed. 186). Uncertain dates: List the date followed by a question mark (i.e. 1870?) (MLA Handbook 9th ed. 186). |
| Location. | Museum/ Gallery where artwork is held. |
| Medium. | This is an IB requirement for a VA artwork citation. The medium would go at the end of the artwork citation as an optional element. |
| Accessed Date. | For sources accessed online please include a date of access. This is an IB requirement. |
Common examples of art citation
OSLIS Citation generator and NoodleTools both provide helpful templates. However, you should always double check the citations and you may have to add extra information (such as medium).
Note: A caption can also include the full source information as in the example above!
| Type of Artwork |
Work Cited Entry |
Image Label and Caption |
| Artwork viewed in person |
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Artwork. Date, Medium, Institution (Gallery/Museum), Name of city where the art work or collection is located.
O’Keeffe, Georgia. Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur. 1930, oil on canvas, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 1. Georgia O’Keeffe, Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur, 1930, oil on canvas |
| Image posted on Instagram |
Last Name of Artist, First Name [online handle if this differs from account name]. Title of Artwork. Instagram, date of post, Medium. URL. Date of Access.
Smith, Katherine [@KrazyCat23]. Mr. Tibbles playing with a toy mouse. Instagram, 23 April 2021, digital image. www.instagram.com/p/Bq_PaXKgqPw/. Accessed 9th December 2021. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 2. Katherine Smith [@KrazyCat23], Mr. Tibbles playing with a toy mouse, 23 April 2021, digital image |
|
Artwork from website: Artwork is main focus of the webpage |
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year, Location of Work, medium. Title of Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed date.
Hoppé, E.O. Lydia Lopokova in 'Petrouchka'. 1919, gelatin silver print. National Portrait Gallery, 2023, www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw196307/Lydia-Lopokova-in-Petrouchka. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 3. E.O. Hoppé, Lydia Lopokova in 'Petrouchka', 1919, gelatin silver print |
|
Artwork from website: Artwork is part of a larger body of work (i.e., included in an article) |
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year, Location of Work, medium. "Title of Webpage," by Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization, Date of publication or last modified date, URL. Accessed date.
Kahlo, Frida. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. 1940, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, oil on canvas. "Artist Frida Kahlo Transcended Suffering through Art," by Renee Phillips, The Healing Power of Art and Artists, 2023, www.healing-power-of-art.org/frida-kahlo-created-art-that-transcended-her-suffering/. Accessed 14 April 2023. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 4. Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940, oil on canvas. |
| Artwork from a book |
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year, Location of Work, medium. Book Title, by Author's Last Name, First Name, Publisher Name often shortened, Year of publication, page number.
Kahlo, Frida. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. 1940, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin, oil on canvas. The Paintings of Frida Kahlo, by Walker, Simon, Bloomsbury, 2012, p. 132. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 5. Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940, oil on canvas |
| Student's own artwork |
Note: The Visual Arts guide states that students should ensure their own original work is identified and acknowledged in the same way as other artwork. Work that is sent externally for assessment needs to be anonymous.
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Artwork. Year, medium.
Candidate's own work. Multicolored abstract. 2021, oil on canvas. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 4. Candidate's own work, Multicolored abstract, 2021, oil on canvas. |
| Photograph of artwork taken by the student in a gallery or museum |
Note: A standard citation for artwork viewed in person will be most appropriate for the Work Cited List and image caption. However, if you need to clarify that it is your photograph of the artwork put this information at the end of the figure caption in brackets.
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Artwork. Date, Medium, Institution (Gallery/Museum), Name of city where the art work or collection is located.
O’Keeffe, Georgia. Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur. 1930, Oil on Canvas, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe. |
Fig. Number. First Name Last Name of Artist, Title of Artwork, Date, Medium
Fig. 1. Georgia O’Keeffe, Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur, 1930, Oil on Canvas [My photograph of the artwork] |
| Art Exhibition |
Last Name of Artist, First Name. Title of Exhibition. Date range of exhibition, Institution (Gallery/Museum), Name of city where the exhibition is/was located.
Abakanowicz, Magdalena. Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope. 17 Nov. 2022 – 21 May 2023, Tate Modern, London. |
N/A |
| Artwork on Pintrest |
Please click on the Pintrest link and go to the original website hosting the image. Follow Artwork from Website instructions. |
See instructions for Artwork from Website |
| Artwork on Google Image Results |
Please click on the image link and go to the original website hosting the image. Follow Artwork from Website instructions. |
See instructions for Artwork from Website |
Works Cited
MLA Handbook. 9th ed., New York City, Modern Language Association of America, 2021.
"Visual Arts: Comparative Study Assessment Criteria Clarification." IBO, International Baccalaureate Organization, resources.ibo.org/data/d_6_visar_fcl_1702_3cc_e.pdf. PDF download. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
"Visual Arts: Process Portfolio Assessment Criteria Clarification." IBO, International Baccalaureate Organization, resources.ibo.org/data/d_6_visar_fcl_1702_3pc_e.pdf. PDF download. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.