Artwork title
An artwork title is a word or phrase used to identify and distinguish a particular work of art from others. These titles can be descriptive, indicative of the content or theme of the work, or they can be more abstract and open to interpretation. Names for works can be designated by the artists themselves, or by curators, and can affect reception and interpretation.[1][2]
History and curation
The practice of a proper title for artworks was relatively rare in ancient civilizations, though works of art were sometimes inscribed by epigraphy with the signature of the artist and/or the subject of the piece such as a titulus. In the Middle Ages, religious works of art were often titled after the iconography of biblical figures or events depicted in the piece.
In modern times, titles of artworks are often chosen by the artist, but they can also be assigned by galleries, collectors, or curators, this historical process being the subject of a book by Ruth Yeazell.[1] The onamastician Adrian Room compiled an encyclopedic dictionary in this area.[2]
Some artworks have had their museum label names changed as new art history research emerges[3] or as a modification of an offensive or pejorative name.[4] Curating institutions are also often responsible for translations of an artwork title into one or more languages. As a proper title is considered the default for modern works, others may be designated "Untitled" (by secondary sources or by the artist as a conscious choice), and are sometimes also assigned a parenthetical name for clarity.[5]
Art criticism
The title of a work of art can have a significant impact on its reception and aesthetic interpretation by audiences and critics, and can also be an important aspect of the artist's overall vision for the piece, and this can be particularly the case for abstract art.[6][7] Some artists choose to title their works with a simple descriptive phrase, such as "Portrait of a Woman" or "Landscape with Trees." Other artists may use more abstract or symbolic titles, such as The Scream or The Persistence of Memory. In some cases, the title of a work of art may be a quote or homage to another work of art or literature. Conversely, ekphrastic literature often repurposes the title of an artwork.[8]
The choice of title for a work of art, akin to an artist's statement, can be a highly personal decision for the artist, and can reflect their own interpretation or intentions for the piece. It can also serve as a way for the artist to engage with the viewer and invite them to consider the work from a particular perspective. Philosophically, Jacques Derrida compared an artwork's title to a parergon[9] and considered it similarly to a simulacrum, and Jean-Luc Nancy took a comparable approach.[10] The title of a work of art is an integral part of its identity and can greatly influence its reception and interpretation by audiences, as noted by art critic Arthur Danto,[11] who made a thought experiment of a particular abstract mural being named after either the first or third of Newton's laws of motion; however, titles can be more impactful on the interpretation of some works than others.[12] Whether descriptive or abstract, the title of a work of art can be a crucial element of the artistic process.
See also
References
- ^ a b Yeazell, Ruth Bernard (2015-09-29). Picture Titles: How and Why Western Paintings Acquired Their Names. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-7346-3.
- ^ a b Room, Adrian (2008-08-26). A Dictionary of Art Titles: The Origins of the Names and Titles of 3,000 Works of Art. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-3889-1.
- ^ Lambrechts, Lisa (2020-06-15). "From Young Woman with a Fan to Isabella: A Rediscovered Identity". The Rijksmuseum Bulletin. 68 (2): 157–165. doi:10.52476/trb.9685. ISSN 2772-6126.
- ^ Veselinovic, Milena (2015-12-14). "Dutch museum renaming art for cultural sensitivity". CNN. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ Ables, Kelsey (2019-07-04). "Why Many Artworks Are Untitled". Artsy. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ Anna, Ursyn (2013-10-31). Computational Solutions for Knowledge, Art, and Entertainment: Information Exchange Beyond Text: Information Exchange Beyond Text. IGI Global. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4666-4628-5.
- ^ Esposito, Anna; Esposito, Antonietta M.; Martone, Raffaele; Müller, Vincent; Scarpetta, Gaetano (2011-01-14). Towards Autonomous, Adaptive, and Context-Aware Multimodal Interfaces: Theoretical and Practical Issues: Third COST 2102 International Training School, Caserta, Italy, March 15-19, 2010, Revised Selected Papers. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 105. ISBN 978-3-642-18183-2.
- ^ Panagiotidou, Maria-Eirini (2022-11-25). The Poetics of Ekphrasis: A Stylistic Approach. Springer Nature. p. 87. ISBN 978-3-031-11313-0.
- ^ Petit, Laurence (2014-04-11). Picturing the Language of Images. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-4438-5933-2.
- ^ Heikkilä, Martta (2021-07-29). Deconstruction and the Work of Art: Visual Arts and Their Critique in Contemporary French Thought. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 2010. ISBN 978-1-7936-1905-1.
- ^ Spaid, Sue (2020-10-15). The Philosophy of Curatorial Practice: Between Work and World. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-350-11491-3.
- ^ Savedoff, Barbara (1999-02-02). "The Art Object". In Dayton, Eric (ed.). Art and Interpretation: An Anthology of Readings in Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. Broadview Press. ISBN 978-1-55111-190-2.