Untitled: How to Find a Title for Your Work

How to Find a Title for Your Work

by Emma Hapner, January 29, 2024

As an artist, there are many things to think about aside from the fun part: creating the work. We have to think about how we will price our work, the marketing involved, and even our social media presence. However, I have always felt that one of the most daunting tasks is thinking of a title for a piece. Many artists, myself included, are visual people, and may not be the best with words. I always think to myself, that if I was good with words, maybe I wouldn’t be a painter. Painting and creating brings so much joy, and the satisfaction of expressing oneself through imagery, but then the challenge of titling the work appears. It can be hard, even seemingly impossible, to pick something that encompasses all the emotion, symbolism, technique, personal experiences, references to pop-culture and/or history, and more that are included, unspoken, in a work of art.

Diego Rodriguez-Warner, *Untitled*, 2016. Acrylic, gouache, spray paint, latex paint, and wood stain on carved panel.

Looking back, throughout art history there are many works simply called Untitled. This may have been due to several factors, the first being that titling an artwork wasn’t always common practice. Many works of art in Europe during the 14th century up until the 18th century depicted scenes from the Bible and other religious iconography that were so well-known at the time, that a title may have been redundant. According to Artsy,

“Titling conventions began as art museums proliferated across Europe in the 18th century, starting with the Museo Capitolino in 1734 and the Louvre in 1793. Around the same time, the art market grew with the founding of auction houses, namely Sotheby’s in 1744 and Christie’s in 1766. As more works circulated, titles became necessary not only to keep track of objects as they changed settings, but also to provide context to viewers in disparate locales. The work could no longer rely on information passed orally through families or directly from artist to viewer. For artists who were participating in group shows and salons, titles became necessary to organize submissions.”

Additionally, some artists prefer not to give their work titles, because the want the work to stand on its own, and let the viewer draw their own conclusions. For example, Picasso is known to have insisted that he didn’t give his work titles, but that his pieces acquired titles from gallerists and art dealers over the years. He is quoted saying, “What good does it do, after all, to impart explanations? A painter has only one language.”

Vermeer, *Girl with a Pear Earring,* oil painting, 1665

That being said, a good title can add a lot to a piece of art. It can contextualize a work and show the personality of the artist, while also distinguishing it from other works. Sometimes a title might be a simple description of the artwork, like Vermeer’s, Girl with a Pearl Earring. Other times, the title might completely change our perception of the piece, like Fountain by Marchel Duchamp.

Marcel Duchamp, *Fountain,* readymade sculpture, 1917.

After looking into the history of titles, and understanding the different ways it can impact a work of art, I still found myself wondering how artists find the right words to say what they want to say. I also wonder, do they title the piece after it’s finished? Do the words come to them and inspire a piece? Where do you even start to find the right words?

In my search for answers, I asked 4 contemporary artists the simple, yet impenetrable question, How do you choose titles for your work?

Sofiya Kuzmina

The first artist I asked was Sofiya Kuzmina. Sofiya, originally from Moscow and now based in New York, is a figurative oil painter who focuses on vulnerabilities and the private moments that unite people’s experiences, embracing empathy and celebrating inclusivity. In response to my question, Sofiya said,

“I typically prefer to keep the titles rather simple. Most of the story-telling happens in the maximalist details of my paintings and, although I love to discuss what is going on in the paintings’ descriptions, the titles serve as the initial invitation for the viewers’ personal interpretations. For example, the “After Hours” is set in a dim cabaret bar scene where the performers unwind after the audience is gone. The title suggests that, but what happened before and after can be read in different ways through the details of the painting itself.

In “Kyla Stoning her Costumes”, from the title and the painting put together, you would get an idea that Kyla is a performer preparing for the future shows routinely gluing rhinestones and pearls to her garments. The fascinating fact about her is that she is one of the best of New York’s aerialists and all the gear in the background shows her true passion. I painted her for my series of the behind-the-scenes lives of performers during the pandemic. Although I could put her exact occupation right in the title, it felt more intriguing to leave the unraveling of her story to the viewers.

Sofiya Kuzmina, *Kyla Stoning her Costumes,* oil on canvas

As it shows, often my subject matters are my unique artistic friends, and in these cases I choose to keep the titles as simple as their stage names. Since many of them are neo-burlesque performers, the name itself can open up the rabbit hole into their rich, private narratives, for example, in “Olive TuPartie” or “Deity Delgado”.

Amy Liu

I also asked Amy Liu, another New York based painter. Amy’s work has figurative elements that exist in abstracted planes featuring architectural details immersed in planes of bold color and pattern. Thematically, the artist reflects on surviving personal trauma, painting in dialogue with her journey toward developing self-love and acceptance along with a grateful sense of survival. In regards to choosing titles for her work, Amy said,

“After finishing the painting, I stand in front of the work and give it a long, intentional reinvestigation. Once as an innocent viewer purely reacting to the visual information, then as the creator of the work with all the context. After the visual analysis, I begin my critical thinking process. I recall my initial intention for the narrative of the painting. And when I search for a phrase that represents that narrative, I make sure that it also embodies the emotional underpinning of the color story. Finally I sprinkle in hints for the art historical references and symbolism. “

Amy Liu, *Reverie*, oil and acrylic on linen

Winternitz

Additionally, I reached out to artist Carlos Pineda, also known as Winternitz, to get his opinion on the topic. Working as both a painter, and a comic artist, he has many opportunities to come up with titles for his work. Particularly within comics, its highly necessary to pick a title that can represent a whole story. Originally from Peru, and now based in NYC, Winternitz uses his paintings and comics to question conventional power dynamics and the sexual politics that dominate our world. When asked how he comes up with titles, he said,

“I always have my ear out keeping track of whatever sentence, word, lyric or expression makes an impression on me. It might just be a word’s musicality or rhyrthm but I eventually write it down from memory and the end result often differs from the original source greatly. Then I think on whatever context might bring these words a new meaning. It might be perfect for an image I’m already working on or a new painting might come out of it altogether. Misremembering ‘I was talking to Peachy Peach about Kissy kiss’ from the Bone machine lyrics by The Pixies gave birth to the two protagonists of my upcoming book ‘Bushwhack’. Being a cartoonist, placing words and pictures next to each other to bring out a new meaning is an extension of treating words as pictures themselves. We write with pictures.”

Jessica Violetta

Lastly, I reached out to artist Jessica Violetta. Born in Northern California and raised in New Jersey, Jessica has always been inspired by the presence of nature as well as the energy of big cities and her italian-american culture. In her paintings, Jessica honors the complexity of feminine narratives through figurative & nature surrealism. By weaving together organic forms that echo and embrace each other, Jessica creates haunting portraits of beauty addressing its own vulnerability. On the topic of titles, she said,

“The names of my pieces come to me before I paint them. Maybe because of my illustration background, I think of the general image and title all at once. My sketches are super loose with the title written right next to it. I even sometimes do a bunch of writing leading up to my sketches, pulling words, phrases, and visuals all out of that same web. This leaves me always feeling very connected to the story behind my artwork.”

Jessica Violetta, *Maternal Equinox,* acrylic on canvas

In conclusion, although finding a title can be challenging, there are many different ways to approach it. Each artist has their own unique method and often finds inspiration in the world around them, the people in their lives, music, poetry, and more. Now, all thats left is to come up with a title for this blog…

Sofiya Kuzmina

IG: @sofiya.kuz

Website: www.sofiyakuzmina.com

Amy Liu

IG: @amyliustudio

Website: www.amyliustudio.com

Winternitz

IG: @winternitz_

Website: www.winternitz.studio

Jessica Violetta

IG: @jessica_violetta

Website: www.jessicavioletta.com