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Single Idea 20395

[catalogued under 21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 1. Artistic Intentions]

Full Idea

The title as given by the artist is something we might need to know (Brueghel's 'Icarus', for example), ...and if a painting depicts one of two twins, it will be the artist's intention that settles which one it is.

Gist of Idea

The title of a painting can be vital, and the artist decrees who the portrait represents

Source

Stephen Davies (The Philosophy of Art (2nd ed) [2016], 3.5)

A Reaction

Those two points strike me as conclusively in favour of the importance of an artist's perceived intentions.

Book Reference

Davies,Stephen: 'The Philosophy of Art (2nd ed)' [Wiley Blackwell 2016], p.67