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.

Clarification

The Brueghel just shows someone drowning

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)

Book Reference

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


A Reaction

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