Ask A Gallery Owner | Should I Include a Couple of Sentences about Art on My Site?

The Concern:

I know you are really active and not able to remedy all thoughts. If probable having said that I would like to know your inner thoughts re: Putting a 2 or 3 sentence description of every picture on a world-wide-web web-site.

Many thanks

John

My Reaction:

Thanks for the issue, John. Including a couple of strains about a piece of artwork on your website or in your other collateral product is a fantastic concept. I have identified that as collectors are contemplating a piece of artwork, they want to discover anything they can about that artwork and about your inspiration as you made it. This more understanding provides to their knowledge and appreciation for the work.

I retain that for most purchasers, the final decision to purchase a get the job done of artwork is an emotional choice, and if their very good emotions towards a operate of artwork can be strengthened with a good story (or even a mediocre a person, for that matter!) that psychological link to the art is likely to be increased.

A few of items to preserve in mind: There is a counterargument to my point of view, and that is that you really should go away the interpretation of the artwork to the viewer. The logic goes that a viewer will set their personal expertise into the piece and assign their have meaning. I like the underlying thought below, and so I would counsel that in your description of your artwork you speak in fairly broad phrases of the correct mother nature of the piece (no specific location for a landscape, for example, or the exact man or woman in a figurative work) and as an alternative communicate in broad conditions about your inspiration for the piece.

The 2nd issue to maintain in intellect is that you really should commonly stay away from getting to be way too political or non secular in talking about your do the job – until the statement you are building is the artwork. Politics and faith/spirituality are sensitive issues – why offend a potential client who may possibly not be on the identical wavelength? If anyone is of your similar mentality, they will in all probability get the deeper indicating devoid of the will need to spell it out in your description.

Never stress if you have not been together with descriptions up to now – you needn’t shell out the future a few weeks updating your web-site. Relatively, I recommend you experiment with descriptions on new performs you add to your website or ship to your galleries and come across what will work very best, then commit to expend a tiny time with each and every do the job of art coming out of your studio building a description.

Do You Concur?

Have you identified it extra productive to share your thoughts about your art or to go away purchasers to interpret it for them selves? Share your ideas in the comments.