In art, atitle is a word or phrase used to identify and distinguish a particularwork of art. These titles can be descriptive, indicative of the content or theme of the work, or they can be more abstract and open to interpretation. Titles can be designated by theartists themselves, or bycurators or other third parties, and can affect reception andinterpretation.[1][2]
Traditionally, onlyworks of art in thefine arts are titled, but convenient descriptive titles may be needed for works in thedecorative arts, for cataloging, museum labels and similar fields.
It may be discovered or argued that the subject of a work has been wrongly identified. Apainting by Titian has been argued to show bothSalome orJudith with the Head of Holofernes. TheArnolfini Portrait byJan van Eyck in theNational Gallery has been given several different titles by the museum over recent decades, as opinions as to the nature of the occasion and the people shown have changed.[3]
In the ancient world, artworks were not typically given aproper title, the identification of something like acult image being self-evident in a particularsociocultural context,[4][5] akin to the concept of thePoor Man's Bible. They were sometimes inscribed byepigraphy with thesignature of the artist and/or the subject of the piece such as atitulus, but atitulus served simple utilitarian functions and was not a true title.[4][6] Subsequentart history, beginning withPliny's chapters that gave common names to works such as byPraxiteles.[7][8]
The relatively small group of narrative religious subjects in Westernmedieval art were and are referred to by the standard names for an event shown, and used in theological and devotional literature.[5] The need for an agreed-upon title only emerged in a Western context in the 18th century, with more secular subjects, and more printed literature ofart criticism, andAge of Enlightenment cataloging of thefirst museums andfirst exhibitions.[5]
In modern times, titles of artworks are usually chosen by the artist. They can also have been assigned by galleries,private collectors,printmakers,art dealers, or curators, this historical process being the subject of a book byRuth Yeazell.[1] Some works are titled with a simple descriptive phrase, for exampleThe Train in the Snow byClaude Monet orSunflowers byVincent van Gogh. Other works may use more abstract or symbolic titles, for exampleThe Scream byEdvard Munch orThe Persistence of Memory bySalvador Dali. TheonomasticianAdrian Room compiled an encyclopedic dictionary in this area.[2] John C. Welchman has writtenInvisible Colors as a critical history of modern titles, after an aphorism byMarcel Duchamp.[9]
Some artworks have had theirmuseum label names changed as newart history research emerges[10] or as a modification of an offensive orpejorative name.[11] Curating institutions are responsible for thorough documentation of all title variants, includingtranslations of an artwork title into one or more languages.[12] 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]
FromGustave Courbet'sL'Origine du monde (1866), to Marcel Duchamp'sFountain (1916) andL.H.O.O.Q. (1919), toFreytag-Loringhoven andSchamberg'sGod (1917), toMaurizio Cattelan'sAmerica (2016), artists have used artwork titles to provide additional meaning and/or context to their works of art.[13][14][15][16]
The title of a work of art can have an impact on its reception andaesthetic interpretation, and can also be an aspect of the artist's overall vision for the piece. This can be particularly the case forabstract art.[17][18] In some cases, the title of a work of art may be a quote orhomage to another work of art or literature. Conversely,ekphrastic literature often repurposes the title of an artwork.[19]
Philosophically,Jacques Derrida compared an artwork's title to aparergon[20] and considered it similarly to asimulacrum, andJean-Luc Nancy took a comparable approach.[21] The title of a work of art is a part of its identity and can influence its reception and interpretation by audiences, as noted by art criticArthur Danto,[22] who made a thought experiment of a particular abstract mural being named after either the first or third ofNewton's laws of motion; however, titles can be more impactful on the interpretation of some works than others.[23]
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