“Yes, the title does matter,” said American sculptor Lynda Benglis and “I don’t title anything,” said the American photographer Helen Levitt.
When viewing art, do you read the title? Does it matter to you? If the work is untitled, do you engage differently with the work? I’d like to hear your thoughts and I’m pretty certain the comment box below is working. Thank you.
I can see why a photographer doesn’t title her images. A picture is worth a thousand words. Conversely, the work of Lynda Benglis is largely abstract and minimal, so a title may suggest an interpretation for the viewer.
Most of my new work is untitled as I want the viewer to have their own interpretation. A few days ago, this conversation came up with two other artists as three of my new pieces are painted slightly different than the untitled work and titled. One comment was “Unless there is a reason to obscure, own your subject matter or inspiration.” The other comment was equally spot on about documenting what I see or what’s going on in my life. For example, Untitled #1 (grey) is my obscured view of driving eastbound on Highway 46 by the fog. I wanted to pull over to take a picture of the trees and that would not have been a smart move with semi-trucks sharing the highway with me.
Net takeaway: I’m on the fence with this one. Some work was published so I don’t think I can change the title.
Brand Library & Art Center is proud to present A Century of California Women Artists celebrating 100 years of Women Painters West, featuring 100 new contemporary works by current members inspired by past member artists.
For this specific Women Painters West exhibit, I selected artist Hazel Coldwell Clark Pletsch and her work was titled “Sketchin”. In this painting, she portrayed two artists sketching in the hills near her Altadena home. As an abstract artist, I concentrated on one area of her painting – the ground on which their chairs were placed. I imagined the dry leaves crumbling beneath their feet.
Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, November 13, 2021 from 6 - 9pm. This exhibit is up starting Saturday November 13, 2021 through January 8, 2022. Brand Library is located at 1601 W. Mountain St., Glendale, CA 91201.
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