How can you make titles for art anyway? It always messes it up. If it's not relevant, it's not helpful. If it is relevant, it's often too restrictive, and does not allow people to make their own interpretation, which is essential to good art.
Last year I was in a photo club for a few months. One of the reasons I stopped was that a judge in a contest didn't like the picture below... because of the title! I had called it Union Jack. And he said that a title must be a "users manual" to a picture. He said the title has to tell the viewer what the picture is about. Which is just so much nonsense. If there is a short way of telling people what a work of art is about, why make it in the first place?
Of course such a petty reason was not the main reason I stopped going to the club. I was just bored. There was no debate about this title thing, just as there was no debate about anything. People did not talk about pictures. Back when I was a teenager in Denmark, I was extremely fortunate to belong to one of the best photo clubs in that country, Næstved Photo Club. It had interesting pictures, and it had interesting debates. I learned tons.
19 comments:
very nice photograph eolake, i really like the design of the buildings especially the windows, very attractive and has that "polished" look of granduer to me :)
I wish I could take credit for the architecture, but that's Liverpool.
That Liverpool guy is a talented architect. ;o)
I suppose the man in front is Jack, who united all trades, hence his name?
I like your title for the photo.
Jack of all Unions
Last year I was in a photo club for "a few months. One of the reasons I he said that a title must be a "users manual" to a picture. He said the title has to tell the viewer what the picture is about. Which is just so much nonsense."
He was right. It doesn't mean the title's more important, but it is important. To pretend otherwise is nonsense.
"People did not talk about pictures."
They may have thought that at that level you should be beyond that kind of pointless, college-level debate.
"To pretend otherwise is nonsense."
I really love the way you practice open-minded debate.
Without your altruistic contribution, this place would soon turn into a self-satisfied consensual club, with only one opinion being accepted. And anything suggesting otherwise would be cast aside by the ignorants as being "certain nonsense".
You know what? Let's dare say it: you're a saint!
[Cultural note:
"Did you know?"
Saint Anonymus is celebrated worldwide on June 31st.]
I don't see how debate or communication about art and pictures need be "pointless".
Pointillism as a debatory technique. Interesting.
TTL said...
"Pointillism as a debatory technique. Interesting."
M.E.O.W.! Meekly Excited Over Wit. :-D
"debatory"?! Yeah, I can make up words too, ttl, you dolt. You really have quite a poor command of English. I guess that means you fit right in.
TTL is Finnish. Do you speak two languages?
anonymous said: "debatory"?!
Sigh. At least I can count on Dr. 4 getting these.
Regardless of my seemingly making excuses for you here, I like to think I got it too. And I don't find it relevant if "debatory" is in the dictionary or not, it was understandable and sort of funny. :)
Incidentally, "dolt" IS an actual English word. Nothing original there, it wasn't made up.
Or am I auto-indulging in futilitous capillotomy (hair splitting)? Gee, now I have an internal scalpalgia. Anybody got an acetylsalicylate?
All rise. The Verbose Club is now in session. Hail the President and founder.
Maybe the general policy should be to ignore all nameless posts? I for one would be the last person to criticize someone's command of English since I do not speak any other languages. In fairness, if you speak English, there's sometimes little incentive to learn any others, even if it's a good idea. Traveling in Europe, it seems that everyone speaks at least a little. Except in France, where they pretend not to. ;-)
joe dick said...
"In fairness, if you speak English, there's sometimes little incentive to learn any others"
Sometimes.
"it seems that everyone speaks at least a little. Except in France, where they pretend not to. ;-)"
Who said they were pretending? I'm part French, so I know them well. ;-)
Admittedly, they can be more than a bit chauvinistic. Basically, they feel about French the way you feel about English.
Then again, these two languages share a close kinship. About one third of their words are in common, with identical or close meanings.
I do agree that the world needs a global language, and even though the "ideality" of English could be debated, in the facts it's already there. Please note, though, that the second most widespread language on the planet is French. Then, in no particular order, come Spanish and Arabic. A lot of people speak Bengali (in India) or Mandarin Chinese, but mostly in their own native country, so it's a different situation.
Would anybody vouch for Arabic as a world language? I've learnt it at schoool. Trust me: not the best choice. It can be horribly complex. As for Chinese, it's a nightmare to write.
But this is becoming a whole new topic...
People who speak English as their first language know as well as anyone its problems. The spelling is a nightmare for one thing. The grammar is pretty weird too.
the second most widespread language on the planet is French
It must be a distant second. It never really had a chance, considering the greater vocabulary and flexibility of English.
I'm not saying that English is any better, but like it or not it's come out on top for now.
I was actually surprised to find out how many people in places like Russia and Japan speak French, but not necessarily English.
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