A name beside the painting

An original commentary about titles in an art exhibition.

I usually look at a painting before reading its title. This is a preference, not a test I expect other visitors to pass. I enjoy the brief uncertainty in which a shape has not yet been told what it represents.

A title can change that first encounter. A scene which appeared peaceful may become troubling when its name suggests departure or loss. An abstract arrangement can acquire a connection with a place. The additional words join the looking; they do not simply stand outside the picture explaining it.

Sometimes the title opens the work. Sometimes I find that I begin searching only for the thing it names and overlook the part which originally held me. I return to the image to ask whether the words have sharpened my attention or narrowed it too quickly.

Other visitors may need that starting point. A person who feels excluded by an unfamiliar work can find a route into it through a title. My pleasure in uncertainty should not become a rule which makes their encounter harder. Equally, a title need not close every question. Several people can read the same words and continue to see different relationships.

At the end of the visit, I often remember the movement between my first impression and the named work. The conversation between them gives me more to consider than deciding that either the image or the label must have the final word.

Explain why the writer sees a painting’s title as valuable but recognises different ways of approaching it.