Portraits vs. Figuratives

[Garth Herrick]

Originally Posted by Kimberly Dow

Thank you for all the replies. I guess it does come down to intent mostly.

I was on another forum talking about how I hate to name paintings. I have trouble with it. I use up my creativity on the visual and can not always come up with a good title. That is one of the reasons I have "Flowers & Friut I" through "Flowers & Fruit VI". I was asking how important the names really were and this is a good example. The names of paintings can tell us sometimes if they are portraits or figuratives. If I names the above painting "Dailey by the Stream" it would be seen differently I imagine. (Then again, with her name someone might think I misspelled daily).

Dailey might visit the stream daily, anyway. It's a beautiful place.

[Morris Darby]

I like the comparison of the fireplaces. That says it best.

Naming paintings....now, that's the pits. One of the masters named his painting "Girl in a chair", now no one on earth can use that name again. All the simple names have been taken.

"Boy by a tree"
"The Boat"
"Man in a boat"
"Girl with a pearl earring"
"Woman smiling"

I guess I'll have to resort to the 21st century naming...

"Dude chilling"
"Wassup"
and
"Maaaann"

[Janel Maples]

I guess I have to say I agree with Mike McCarty.

My fireplace, "Portrait of my daughters"

Someone else's fireplace, "Stopping for a closer look" (or something like that)

Isn't that the beauty of art? It is what the creator says it is? Even if it is that what they say only to them?

Is the question possibly what is the difference between a portrait and figurative IN THIS FORUM?

Because, obviously, I could not put a bunch of blobs of paint on a canvas and post it in the critique section and call it "Portrait of my half second cousin, twice removed" (Which I recently learned from Family Tree Maker is a valid explanation of a relative, very distant but related)
and expect to get away with it.

Well, now that I think of it, I could call it "Self portrait in the morning" and be accurate.

Never mind.

Janel Maples