In trying to decide what I could pontificate about for this OPA blog, I decided to talk about something really simple, (lest I go down the philosophical rabbit hole overthinking the meaning of art, something of which I have no qualifications to comment on).
Choosing a great title gives your art an extra layer of meaning and helps connect with viewers. An interesting title can introduce ambiguity, shape a narrative, or offer a subtle guide to interpretation. Of course, there are times where you simply want to state as in a landscape painting the location – “Early Morning at Suset Cliffs”, very appropriate and certainly collectors can have a strong attachment to a certain place and want the location in a titled piece. But not very evocative. “Untitled” , ofter used for art in more of the abstraxt genre. I fo one, am guilty of the ordinary as I title most of my paintings in a matter of fact way. Of course in today’s world with AI at our fingertips, finding an interesting title is not such a head scratcher. I’ve done this a couple of times myself when I fee stuck with ambivalent subject matter.
Here is a guideline which describes it better than I ever could:
Choose a Titling Approach
Descriptive: Name the literal subject, place, or objects shown (e.g., Ice Cream Truck). This works well for clarity when selling online.
Evocative: Focus on an emotion, mood, or atmospheric quality rather than a literal object (e.g., The Silence of Fading Light).
Conceptual: Referance a theme, story, or deeper idea behind the piece to connect with your artist statement.
I think many artist are going this AI route with titles and or describing a painting which is ofter asked for with various exhibitions. I have found that some of these AI descriptions can get a bit over the top but can act as a springboard into one’s own wording, trying to keep it all as authentic and simple as possible.
Brainstorming Strategies
Tell a story: Hint at a narrative or point out a subtle detail that forces the viewer to look closer. Avoid “Untitled”: Using “Untitled” can make a piece feel unfinished or lack professional investment. (This mostly refers to representational work.)
Use outside inspiration: Draw words from poetry, song lyrics, a thesaurus, or a running notebook of interesting phrases.
Keep it simple: Aim for short, memorable, and catchy titles that leave room for the audience’s own interpretation.
Not only is this piece exquisite on every level but also what an intriguing title! So, I decided to look it up. Well, ‘Farewell Jupiter’ can be something mystical, astrological or a heavy metal band. This adds even more to the mystery. This painting is one of my all time favorites and got me thinking about titles.
Prairie Wind… thanks Neil Young. Seemed to just work for this piece. I think someone on Instagram came up with that one for me. You can ask your adoring fans to help with a title and they can come up with some really good ones. I have a friend who likes to use Beatle song titles for their work.
It might seem a little dark to really see on this tiny page but the narrative behind this painting actually took a while to title out. The young vacationers in the background living in a completely different world and blissfully unaware of the Belizean peasant woman trying to sell enough to feed her family. Such is the third world. Having a literal title like “Belizean Woman Selling Her Wares “ would have been descriptive but would not enticed the viewer to look closer and think about the story.
It seems to me that still life paintings lend themselves the most to a literal type of title like “Amazon Package with Bubble Wrap and Lemons ” seems to say it all. Or Nudes, we know it’s a nude by just looking at it, so it can be simplified to “Nude with Parasol”. I wonder if something more interesting could be used? “Study of a….” titles are appropriate as they are not meant to convey more than just that.
I do see a lot of intriguing titles on paintings these days. I also see very literal bland titles that also do the trick and don’t lessen the piece. I remember years ago there was a teeny tiny 3” x 3” still life painting of some berries that was in the OPA National. It was entitled ”Is Anyone Paying Attention?”,,,,,, brilliant, right? (It was an excellent painting and I apologize for not remembering the artists’ name.) A great example of of a well thought out title. I’ve been known to jot potential titles in a notebook when I hear them.
I felt the portrait of this craggy old tree needed more than a mere descriptive title. “With Age Comes Wisdom” just popped into my head and was perfect. I am sure the title had a lot to do with the sale of this painting.
In my research I found tons of articles and UTube videos out there on this topic. One in particular was from Contemporary Art Issue(CAI) on “How to Title Your Artworks” April 19, 2025. It was well written and had some very interesting examples of titles. Just like the right frame can really set off your painting, the right title can give your work more depth and a different dimension. It is another tool and component as important as the the frame and the artwork itself.
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