A Guide to Writing in Art and Art History with 2021 MLA Update

Introduction: A Guide to Writing in Art and Art History
Thinking like an art professional
Questions art professionals ask
Kinds of evidence art professionals use
Ethical practices in art

Looking at works of art
Responding to a work of art
Understanding point of view
Developing the techniques of description

Researching art
Using databases to find scholarly publications
Primary and secondary sources
Academic journals
Books and online resources

Reading the art literature
Active reading
How to read scholarly books on art
How to read a scholarly article
Checklists for evaluating sources

Designing and writing papers and projects in art
Considering your purpose
Understanding your audience and your writing situation
Checklist for assessing the writing situation
Organizing and drafting
Revising and editing

Writing conventions in art
Word choice
Phrasing for clarity, concision, and directness
Writing effective sentences
Special considerations in writing about art

Integrating, citing, and documenting sources in art
Avoiding plagiarism and recognizing intellectual property
Quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing sources
Captions and lists of illustrations
MLA style for documenting sources in art
Chicago style for documenting sources in art

Genres of writing in art
Short description of a work of art
Copy for a museum label
Personal response to a work of art
Comparison of two works of art
Formal analysis of a work of art
Contextual analysis
Review of an art exhibition
Research paper
Artist statement

Glossary of vocabulary in art
Additional resources for art and art history
Practice activities
Practice activity: Writing a thesis statement for a research paper
Practice activity: Determining appropriate topics for research
Practice activity: Arguing against and defending
Practice activity: Writing a blog entry using compare and contrast
Practice activity: Timed writing
Practice activity: Writing description vs. analysis
Practice activity: Using databases for basic research in art
Practice activity: Using databases to find scholarly articles
Practice activity: Evaluating a scholarly journal
Practice activity: Locating and evaluating scholarly articles
Practice activity: Using special collections
Practice activity: Evaluating online information
Practice activity: Citing sources in Chicago style
Practice activity: Paraphrasing and citing in Chicago style
Answers to selected activities

Sample student writing: Art and art history
Blog post: Anonymous (Lakota) Pipe Bag, Nineteenth Century
Formal analysis: Vermeer’s The Milkmaid: Illuminating the Dignity of Everyday Labor
Research paper: Manet and the Modern Language of Flowers
Wall text: Delaunay, Homage to Blériot

More help with documentation: MLA and Chicago styles
MLA works cited list: Additional examples
Chicago-style notes and bibliography: Additional examples

Editing strategies
Subject-verb agreement
Pronoun agreement, reference, and case
Strong verbs
Sentence fragments
Run-on sentences
Distracting shifts
Parallel structure
Clear, uncluttered sentences
Sentence emphasis
Commas
Apostrophes
Quotation marks