Sometimes, creating a title for a work of art is a long, complicated, and laborious process; especially because finding words that are meaningful, full of aesthetic value, and able to represent the work well is not easy. There is no surefire and fail-free method for creating title art; but at least, there are some strategies and exercises you can do to find the best title that can represent the results of your hard work and creativity. Want to know more? Read on for this article!
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Part 1 of 4: Thinking Out the Right Ideas and Themes
Step 1. Write down the main ideas of your artwork
Think of things that represent your work well and write them in simple words, like “tree” or “woman”, as well as words with more complex meanings like “friendship” or “childhood”. Think of a title that represents these ideas well.
Step 2. Know the motivation behind the creation of your artwork
What prompted you to create this work? Think about how you feel about the work and also think about what value you want to convey to the audience of your art. How do you feel when you enjoy your own artwork? Identify the story you want to tell through the work.
Step 3. Bring out more value in your artwork
In every work of art, there are always parts that want to be highlighted or intended to attract the attention of the audience of the artist's work. Think about the value you want to highlight. Where do you want to direct the focus of the audience of your work? Creating artwork titles based on these plus points can help others understand your work better.
"Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer directs the focus and attention of the audience to the tiny pearl earrings in the woman's ear
Step 4. Think about what you want to tell viewers of your art
Often, titles are the primary tool for art connoisseurs to understand and interpret what they are looking at. What would you like to share with the audience of your art?
- Would you like to lead their interpretation in a certain direction? For example, an untitled painting of a dog sitting on the beach is free to be interpreted in different ways by the observer. But if you title it “Abandoned”, people will assume that the dog is being abandoned by its owner on the beach. The same painting with the title "Friends" will of course also have a different specific interpretation.
- Some artists deliberately do not explain the meaning of their art; they often give ambiguous titles that can be interpreted in various ways by the audience.
Step 5. Create a title that is meaningful to you
Regardless of the reason for choosing it, make sure the title is meaningful to you as the creator. After all, the artwork is basically made for your personal satisfaction. Some artists prefer to create titles that are able to represent a certain meaning; especially so that they can remember certain details about the process of making the work, the inspiration for the work, etc.
Frida Kahlo once made a painting with the title “I Belong to My Owner” when she was in a relationship with an exiled communist, Leo Trotsky. The painting of wildflowers in the vase represents her unending love for Trotsky, as well as her desire to leave the relationship
Part 2 of 4: Looking for Inspiration
Step 1. Find inspiration in a poem or quote
Creating a title based on a quote from your favorite poem or novel is a creative way and worth trying. But make sure you choose phrases that are not too long and can represent the meaning of your artwork, not random phrases that mean nothing.
- You should not infringe on copyright when applying this method, unless you choose a citation that is too long. One or two phrases from your favorite poem or novel are still considered duplication of fair use and are protected by the Copyright Act.
- Pam Farrell once made a painting with the title "Seasick Sailor," which incidentally is a phrase she heard from the song Beck and Bob Dylan.
- David White created titles inspired by books and films such as “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and “The Man Who Would Be King” and used them as titles for his series. one of his paintings entitled “The Man Who Was Tired of Perpetual War” was inspired by one of the characters in his painting.
Step 2. Ask for advice
Ask relatives, friends, or fellow artists for suggestions on the right title for your artwork. They may be able to come up with interesting and inspiring ideas that you didn't think of before.
- You can also host a “title party” and invite friends or fellow artists. At the party, showcase your works, then ask everyone present for suggestions on the most appropriate title for each. Some parties like this require their guests not to go home before a title is chosen.
- The painter Jackson Pollock has a habit of giving his artworks numeric titles, such as "Number 27, 1950 (Number 27, 1950)", but art critic Clement Greenberg has always given Pollock a poetic title such as "Lavender Mist" or “Alchemy” to distinguish each of his works.
Step 3. Pay homage to the inspiration of your work
If your art style or character is inspired by a particular work or artist, try naming it after the work or artist that inspired you. This is one of the powerful methods that you should try.
Andy Warhol created a series of paintings with a strong pop culture influence entitled "The Last Supper". The title was chosen as a form of modern representation of Leonardo da Vinci's work of the same title
Step 4. Observe the title of another artwork
Observe how other artists create titles for their works; also read the story behind the creation of the title of a work of art. Observe the titles of various types of art, ranging from classic paintings, modern paintings, sculptures, to videos.
Part 3 of 4: Choosing the Right Words
Step 1. Find synonyms for the word
While the title of the artwork should represent a particular theme or topic, that doesn't mean you have to use words that match the theme and (perhaps) you don't like. Look up the words in a thesaurus dictionary and look up synonyms for them.
Step 2. Add descriptive phrases
You may already have several keywords that are able to represent the theme raised. However, there's nothing wrong with adding a certain description that can add depth to your title. Think of adjectives or adverbs that can sharpen the title of your artwork.
- Georgia O'Keeffe once gave the title "Calla Lily Turned Away," for one of her paintings. Through the title, he provides a more detailed description of the subject of his work.
- Mary Cassatt once gave the title "Mrs. Duffee Seated on a Striped Sofa, Reading" which aims to clarify the subject and details in her painting.
Step 3. Try different combinations
Match the words you choose to find the best word combination. Shifting the order of words has the potential to shift their meaning. Look for the combination of words that have the most appropriate meaning or are easiest to pronounce.
Say the words out loud to hear how they sound when combined
Step 4. Choose a descriptive title
Instead of preoccupying yourself with an overly complex title search, try a simple, literal title like "Wooden Table with Fruit Bowl," "Red Ball," or "Girl Swinging." (Woman on Swing)”.
- Emily Carr likes to give simple titles to her works, such as “Breton Church” and “Big Raven”.
- "Still Life: Apples and Grapes (Still Life: Apples and Grapes)” is a still life painting by Claude Monet about a table filled with fruit. Still life is a special technique for painting nature or inanimate objects to make them appear more alive and “talk”.
Step 5. Translate the title into another language
Keywords that reflect the theme or topic of your work may sound better in another language. Try picking some keywords and translating them into another language.
- Make sure you pronounce it correctly in the target language. Recheck the accent or certain characters that you need to pay attention to in the language you have chosen. Losing an important language element such as an accent has the potential to change the whole meaning.
- Try to find someone who speaks the language fluently. Ask them to correct your title so that it is free of false connotations.
Part 4 of 4: Refining the Title
Step 1. Find out if there are other artworks with the same name
Giving a title, one of which aims to distinguish your work from other works. If your work has the same title as another work – especially if the work is already known to many people – or if the title of your work is more familiar to other artists, of course your work has the potential to cause confusion, misinterpretation, or lose its originality.
Search for your title on an online page and observe your discoveries
Step 2. Ask other people what they think about the title you have chosen
The title of your work may mean different things to other people. Observing spontaneous reactions and receiving feedback on your title is a great way to predict how people will respond to your work.
Observe if your title is too ambiguous or contains multiple interpretations
Step 3. Double check the spelling of your title
Unless on purpose, don't publish artwork with an incorrectly spelled title. Your seriousness is determined by one of these factors. You should also check the grammar of the title, especially if your title is a long sentence, not a short phrase.
Step 4. Promote yourself and your works through titles
Creating a title, in addition to adding depth to the meaning of the work, also serves to promote yourself as an artist. Forget the title of the painting "Untitled (Untitled)". Instead, try to come up with a title that is unique, distinct, and easy for art connoisseurs to remember. This method is effective in adding to your value as an artist, as well as the value of your works.
- For serial paintings, try to provide continuous titles such as “Blue Fence #1”, “Blue Fence #2 (Blue Fence #2)”, etc. If you're having trouble keeping up, choose another title and help yourself keep track of the separate works.
- Observers, critics, and art collectors can recommend your work more accurately if you provide a specific title. If all your works are titled “Untitled”, of course your works will be forgotten easily and it is difficult to recommend.
- Unique titles help art lovers to easily find your works online.
Step 5. Make sure the title you choose is able to represent your work well
If you want to publish a work, make sure the title you create is in line with the work. After finding the most appropriate title, write the title behind your work.
