Comments on: A Philosophy for Titling Artwork

By: Jen M.

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:25:36 +0000

I’m a poet, as well as an artist. On top of that, a lot of my paintings (and some of my jewelry pieces) come to me in my dreams. Often, the concept will drive the entire process–the painting comes to me, asking to be made manifest, and I find they tend to dictate everything, from concept to materials, to title. In that respect, I feel very fortunate.
I find that my titles vary between abstract/interpretive and desciptive. Even the descriptive ones are not what I’d call bland, though. There is always an element of poetry or mystery to them. My photography is titled pretty much the same way.
I’m currently working on a series (a work of almost a decade, so far, and that’s just the first two pieces!) The title of the series is strictly descriptive. The titles of the paintings are about half-and-half, so far.
For me, naming them is the easy part. It’s the execution that I strugge with, for a number of reasons, mainly time and space to paint. 🙁

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By: Jen M.

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:19:50 +0000

In reply to Vered Galor.

I don’t necessarily agree. I have come across untitled pieces that really stuck with me and kept me thinking about what the artist was trying to say.
That said, I love titles, myself.

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By: Jen M.

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:18:48 +0000

In reply to Sylvia.

Wow. That’s quite technical, but very cool!

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By: Jen M.

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:59:30 +0000

In reply to Marsha Clements.

I LOVE it when an artist includes a story or short description with his/her work, regardless of whether it’s titled or not. I find that having that insight into the artist’s process/thought process really helps to frame the work for my own exploration.
(Which is really to say that, as an artist, I LOVE having conversations with other artists about the artistic process!) 🙂

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By: Anwar

Fri, 18 May 2012 22:03:41 +0000

So far I title my paintings with design terms..color schemes, subjects etc. I hope that this way the title may assist the viewer in choosing it for their space. It would also be easier to catalog and remember if the title also describes the piece. I usually do not get any feed back, nor has anyone asked why I named it such and such. They may say something along the lines of…”oh I love PURPLE!” or “my brother collects trains like that” etc.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:01:55 +0000

Thanks to everyone for sharing here. I’ve read every response and really appreciate your insights. Just couldn’t keep up with them individually.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:15 +0000

In reply to Lenore Corey.

Don’t be embarrassed, Lenore!
Thanks for sharing a little more here.

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By: Theresa

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:51:33 +0000

I’ve both lost and gained sales by naming the place of the painting. On a rare occaision, a title for a piece will pop into my head. The rest of the time it’s torture to come up with a name. I wish a title wasn’t necessary but I think it’s important for most viewers.

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By: Lenore Corey

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:31:31 +0000

In reply to Alyson Stanfield.

Alyson, I just read your question, or I would have responded sooner. I.am. embarrassed. (I must have forgotten to check the box to receive comments).
My reply is this: No, actually people do not always respond to the titles. I am not cryptic with titles at all, but I try to guide viewers to do some analysis, and this is probably the teacher in me. When I am teaching, part of the curriculum is to have students critique or “pick apart” artworks for meaning … proper school term would be- critical thinking skills. I tell them that sometimes the artist provides clues or ideas about the work in the title, and that this is part of the process of a critique, like being a detective. But, I find that when it comes to my personal work, and the general public, people almost always ask for the story behind the image, or behind the words because they are interested. So, I talk with them a little, about symbols, metaphors, and stories, and they are happy to learn what is going on in the picture. (After thinking about this I remembered that I had written a blog post titled, “What’s in a name?” … because I had changed the title for the third and final time on a painting, right back to its original)! p.s. I love all the responses to this/your question … so many opinions, it’s great!

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By: Vered Galor

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:06:12 +0000

Thank you Drew. It does not “sticks in my mouth”, it just turns me off!

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