Why Do Artworks Need Titles?
Do all artworks have titles? What is the point of them? Does it add anything to the painting? The answer is yes and no1.
A hallmark of “modern art” is a sense of obscurantism. The more metaphorical your work, the better the piece is. Having a title in this situation is helpful, insofar as having the artist themselves explain the work. For all I care, paint a rock and title the piece “me”. The title provides something to work off.
On the other hand, there are artists who can paint the “ineffable”. There isn’t a need to title a painting of a Tree “Tree 06.23”, unless the work is within a collection. With the collection holding the meaning.
“Realist” paintings can be thought of as “iconic” as they aim to mimic our perception of the world. It’s not hard to make out what the drawing is. On the other hand, “modern art” works on the “symbolic” level. The painting is not of perception but representation. That’s when I would want a title.
After all, “the map is not the territory” and “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”
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Addendum: They can function as “names”. ↩