Turner's Titles

The reproduction and dissemination of images in the modern era have made painting peculiarly dependent on words: pictures have titles, and artists are compelled to supply them—even when they defiantly respond with variations on "Untitled." Rather than resist the need to label, J. M. W. Turner deliberately exploited it. Turner believed strongly in the affinity of poetry and painting and often titled his pictures after classical or historical sources. Yet the same titles also betray an impulse to obscure the link between word and image and thus to drive the viewer back—in partial bafflement—to the visual experience of the painting itself. This consciousness of how titles shape the reception of his pictures makes Turner an exemplary modern artist.