How to Title an Artwork

Artists can be an anxious lot. We worry and fret over what to create, what details to include or exclude, when to declare (to ourselves) that the artwork is finished, and even what to name it. So how does an artwork get a title? Let’s look at an example.

The photo on the left shows a coaster that is about 4 inches by 4 inches in size. Suppose I scale it up to about 5 ft by 5 ft in size, frame it, and put it up for sale. How would I title it? 

 An obvious choice would be to call it like I see it and keep it simple: Rectangles. Or I could make it a little more complicated and call it Rectangles and Other Shapes.

I might be trying to get it into a specific exhibition with a political theme. In that case, I might name it Opposing Views. That would be a good title to use to start a discussion. Or if it is a nature inspired show, I could call it Blue Flash (like the famous green flash at sunset; except mine is blue). 

Sometimes, artists post photos of the finished piece and ask for title suggestions. I asked someone close to me what they saw in this design. They said Two Cereal Boxes on a Table. That’s a fun name. But would that help sell it or would that devalue it? Sticking with fun titles, how about Blue Horse Grazing? I can hear two viewers talking about it… “That’s the strangest horse I’ve ever seen” or “Why is the horse blue?”

I could also go for a more sophisticated title like Untitled No. 1. 

And then there is the question of when to name it. If I name it too early in in the process of its creation, will that influence how it turns out. Would the blue shape change to one that is more horselike? Or should I wait until it is finished before I name it? Anxious or not, it’s fun to be an artist.