Untitled
I didn’t always enjoy titling my work. In fact, I used to find the idea of associating words with images offensive—I worried that the work would end up illustrating the title for viewers. At some point, I came to peace with the idea, and my new understanding has something to do with the following work and the artist who painted it.
René Magritte’s The Rape 1934
This image is striking on its own, but, when paired with its title, it knocks me off my feet. Every time.
To Magritte’s mind, “the title has the same relationship with the painted figures and objects that these figures and objects have among themselves. These figures and objects are put together in such a way as to evoke mystery. The title is joined to the image with the same intention.”* For the famous Surrealist, the words of the title were never more important than the image: he believed that the title was an integral part of the whole work. And that makes a lot of sense to me.
Though I ventured into the world of titling some with Swollen, it wasn’t until Apple Pie that I began to understand everything that a title can add to an image.
Chú Xam (Vietnamese-American)
2008
acrylic on canvas and eyelet
36 x 24 inches
In this case, I was primarily looking to emphasize the subject’s Vietnamese roots with the title, which is a direct translation of “Uncle Sam.” But the title also gives this otherwise un-war-like interpretation of our icon a combative edge for those in the know: “Chú Xam” is how the Vietnamese referred to the US government during the Vietnam War.
First American (Native American)
2008
acrylic on burlap
35 inches diameter
Here, the title is on same level as image: the work isn’t complete without it. With Chú Xam, the title might be dismissed if it’s not immediately understood, but, with First American, the title requires no second language for full comprehension only the innate knowledge of American culture and history that most citizens learn without trying.
My only regret in making titles that are so intimate with their images is that they are difficult to translate. Recently, I started to convert my site into French, and the loss that my Apple Pie works suffer when separated from their titles is striking. It leads me to wonder how well my work in general—with or without titles—translates. Am I so entirely American in my making that all my images would require a translator? Does it matter? Should art try to be a universal language? Or should it aim only to communicate fully with a smaller audience?
How well does Magritte’s Rape translate outside of Western cultures?
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*From René Magritte’s Écrits Complets (or Complete Writings), edited and annotated by André Blavier (published by Flammarion, Paris, 2001).
**Translations of the quotation and title are my own.
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(3) Comments / Commentaires: Untitled
I used to ignore titles, but now I find them fascinating—probably because I’m trying to learn more about how to use them effectively in my own work!
I still don’t usually read artist statements though. They tend to depress me because they have very little of substance to say. I try to write mine like my titles: not as an explanation of the work but as another part of the series as a whole and, ideally, a good read on its own.
Do you read statements?
No! And for exactly the same reason you mentioned: they remind me of high school essays written with fancy words just to fill space and end up saying nothing at all. Serious collectors may know and understand all the fancy-shmansy art terms and immediately know what your art is about, but just how interesting is a paragraph about art technique? I’m with you about making the artist statement read as another dimension of the artist and the work: what is the inspiration, what are we trying to work through in our art, etc.?
Pia f. Walker...
Gwenn,
you bring up some great questions! When I first started drawing, I too was worried about how a title could slant a viewer’s perception of the art.
Yet I still deeply believe that art is its own language and that it immediately dissipates emotions and scenarios that a viewer picks up. When I visit museums, I first look at the painting and then search for the artist’s name - but I very rarely remember the titles! I always remember what I felt when I first saw the art piece (and that’s kind of the title that I give it).
There may be American themes that may not be easily and immediately understood outside of the States, but as human beings, it does not matter where we reside - emotions are universal. And as human beings, we go through stages where a piece of art may not resonate with us and years later come back to it and finally get it, because through life experiences we can finally understand its meaning.
Thank you for posing these questions - these are themes I had not taken into consideration before, but I’m glad you gave me the chance to mull them over!
Pia f. Walker
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