Title is the name of an artwork.
However, if the artist did not title the artwork, it often goes by the name Untitled.
Pronunciation: tahyt-l
Also Known As: Name
Entitling art: Influence of title information on understanding and appreciation of paintings
aFaculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria
bDepartment of History and Cultural Sciences, Special Research Division Aesthetics, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstr, 2-4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Received 21 September 2004;
revised 17 August 2005;
accepted 18 August 2005.
Available online 11 November 2005.
Abstract
There is evidence that presenting titles together with artworks affects their processing. We investigated whether elaborative and descriptive titles change the appreciation and understanding of paintings. Under long presentation times (90 s) in Experiment 1, testing representative and abstract paintings, elaborative titles increased the understanding of abstract paintings but not their appreciation. In order to test predictions concerning the time course of understanding and aesthetic appreciation [Leder, H., Belke, B., Oeberst, A., & Augustin, D. (2004). A model of aesthetic appreciation and aesthetic judgments. British Journal of Psychology, 95(4), 489–508] in Experiment 2, abstract paintings were presented under two presentation times. For short presentation times (1 s), descriptive titles increased the understanding more than elaborative titles, whereas for medium presentation times (10 s), elaborative titles increased the understanding more than descriptive titles. Thus, with artworks a presentation time of around 10 s might be needed, to assign a meaning beyond the mere description. Only at medium presentation times did the participants with more art knowledge have a better understanding of the paintings than participants with less art knowledge. Thus, it seems that art knowledge becomes significant, if there is sufficient time to assign a meaning and the present studies reveal the importance of considering the time course in aesthetic appreciation.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you become lazy when it comes to naming your art?
Are you stuck on Untitled or a lame numbering system for a series (Green Mountain #1, Green Mountain #2, etc.)?
It’s time for better titles for your art! Here are five reasons why1. Titles help you distinguish among numerous works.
Titled works are easier to find and to file in organizing systems. They’re also easier for you to talk about and refer people to. The more unique each title is, the better. If you have a series of numbers, you might forget how Green Mountain #1 is different from Green Mountain #5.
2. Titles make it easier for reviewers and critics to write about your art.
It’s difficult to write about untitled art because readers have to be clear about which artwork is being discussed. When faced with untitled art, the writer must spend hunks of text describing which untitled work she’s referring to.3. Intriguing titles are cause for contemplation.
Untitled or loosely titled works allow the viewer more freedom to interpret, but most people need and want guidance. An interesting title might be enough for a viewer to stop, think, and look back at the art.
4. Titles look great in books.
Imagine all of the titled artwork in the index of a book about your art.
5. Search engines find titles.
If you Google “dumb campers,” the second item that comes up (after video results) is my About page. Do I have anything on ArtBizCoach.com about people who aren’t so savvy in the wilderness? Nope. But I do own a painting with that title, which appears in my online bio. Google found it.
[Caveat: You have to make sure the title appears with the art in order for this to work with search engines. This advice may seem obvious, but I find non-credited art on artists’ websites and blogs all of the time.]
FINAL WORD: There are no guidelines for titling your art. You can select any title you choose. Just remember that your work will have to live with the title for the rest of its life.
Are your titles working for you? Do they help people relate to your art? Do they at least cause viewers to stop and think, “Hmmm . . . I wonder what that means”?
Titles don’t have to say everything, but they should say something. Have fun with them!
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I think it is important to understand the use of titles aiding in the conceptual ideas supporting a photograph or body of work. At one of my individual meetings we had talked about the importance and direction I could go with my titling of the individual images. One direction we had talked about was going in a personal direction, with naming the individuals. I don't know how a name will allow people to approach the images and individuals in a more emotional sympathetic way. The other was addressing how scientific I have become in my capturing of the images. I think I would like to mix both ways of entitling of the work. As apart of the work i was keeping memory journals from my experience with the individual i was collaborating with. From these journals i would like to pull out the title of each work. I am thinking titles that act as a window into the experience. maybe a phrase or sentence from the collaboration.
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