Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Another peeve

This doesn't bother me quite as much as the previous peeve I mentioned, but it's still irritating. I cringe every time I see a piece of art in a museum, go to look at the card with it, and see the word "Untitled". This is even more annoying when it's a piece of modern art, the theme of which may not be...let's be generous and say that the underlying theme of great weight and depth may not be obvious.

It seems to me that the title of a piece is just as much a part of it as the rest of the medium. It gives me an insight into the artist's mind, which can be useful when I'm trying to make sense of a piece that might be nothing more than Very Straight Pencil Lines. What was the artist thinking? I've certainly got no context in which to interpret the aforementioned Lines. And when I look as the card and see (wince!) "Untitled", I begin to wonder if there is a point, or whether the artist is trying to take the piss out of me with a piece of artwork with no more depth than one I might make by drawing Very Straight Lines. On paper. With a pencil.

Yes, it's a small thing. It's a peeve, remember? But it's a small thing that bugs me when I attempt to contrast it with what I feel when I see art with a cool name that makes me think.

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