How the Title Joined the Pictures

The importance of titles for creations of visual arts is confirmed by their omnipresent attachment to objects of art in museums, collections, expositions und catalogues, in their use in art criticism, academic discourse and media coverage. Yet the development of titles remains a hitherto widely neglected area of research in art history. For a long time the beholder of a piece of art could understand the topics of pictures and sculptures without the help of additional explanations: The objets dart showed generally known religious and mythological themes. Why then, since when and under which accompanying circumstances did titles emerge during the 18th century? The so-called livrets the exhibition catalogues of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in Paris offer an answer to this question. The Academy was founded in 1648 during the reign of Louis XIV. Since the last quarter of the 17th century and up to its dissolution during the French revolution the royal institute organized exhibitions of works of its members in the so-called Salon de Paris, first with irregular intervals, and since 1737 on a biennial basis. The long, uninterrupted succession of its publication makes the livret an outstanding source for an investigation into the emergence of titles. These first catalogues of contemporary art in Europa were not yet the object of a systematic evaluation under the aspect of titling; their analysis represents an innovative approach into a new field of scientific research. The genesis of the title in the livrets followed a path of gradual transition from extensive descriptions of the exhibits towards succinctly formulated short titles: The appearance of hitherto unknown, incomprehensible image motifs, the developing art market and the beginning of art criticism required and favoured short, easily legible titles. They allowed for the rapid identification of an artworks content and facilitated the theoretical discourse about artists and their creations: By the middle of the 18th century the informed public and the Salon critic understood and accepted the designation of exhibits in the catalogues as titles. Given the outstanding position of the Academy in the European art scene and cultural life it served as a role model the Salon and the titles paved the way for the first art museums in France and the emergence of modern art activities.