Why you should not explain the joke in funny art. You walk into an art gallery and instantly notice a painting of a cat wearing a business suit. It looks tired with a mountain of paperwork on its desk. You chuckle at the funny and relatable scene. The artist then walks up to you and explains that it represents the pressure of modern work life. All of a sudden it no longer seems quite as funny. This will happen often when creating humorous art. Although you have created something funny, you can feel like you need to explain what it means. However, sometimes humour doesn’t need explaining!
Explaining Humour Can Take Away From It
There is a popular saying that says "Never explain a joke; it takes all the mystery out of it". This is often attributed to E.B.White.
Next time you have explained a joke, even if it makes sense you probably won’t laugh as much as if you worked it out for yourself.
This is because humour works off of surprise. When you see a funny image this gives you a chance to work out why the two things are funny to put together. However, once someone explains it to you there is nothing to work out.
Humorous art works in a similar way. You want your image, sculpture or drawing to give people a chance to work out why it is funny. Once you explain everything it takes away from the little experience.
Let People Work It Out
People enjoy humour because they can work out why something is funny.
For example, seeing a picture of a dog in court with a judge’s wig on instantly makes you realise how unusual the situation is. This is where the humour comes in because it shows you something familiar in a very unexpected situation.
Your brain works out why it is funny.
However, if the artist writes a long description of how the dog represents authority then it takes away from the initial idea. People aren’t able to work it out for themselves.
Although it isn’t always needing to be necessary to make the artwork easy to understand from the outset, it can be nice to leave people a little confused so they look at it again. However, make sure they are able to work out something.
No Advantages Of Being A Comedian
Comedians have many advantages when delivering a joke. They can use their facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses and people's reactions to make the joke funny. If people aren’t laughing they can change how they deliver it.
Visual artists don’t have this advantage. Usually they will only have one image/object to convey their message. People decide where to look and for how long.
This means it is really important to design your piece well. If your image is hard to comprehend it is usually not the best idea to write a long paragraph. Often changing the presention, adding more visual detail or using an interesting title will be helpful.
The art should do the talking.
Over Complicated Gallery Descriptions
Sometimes gallery descriptions can be helpful. However, they can become too complicated.
If you have a sculpture made up of a few rubber ducks that look very serious like a judge in a court room most people will probably smile. However, if the description explains how it is challenging traditional ideas of authority it can take away from the humour.
Although it is fine to talk about deeper meanings in art, if every funny object needs to be explained in a complicated way it can be an issue.
Sometimes artists can feel like they need to use formal language to describe their humorous art so it is taken seriously. However, often confidence comes from letting the art do the talking.
Proven By Famous Artists
There are many examples in art history of unusual pieces that have caught people's attention without needing a long explanation.
Marcel Duchamp displayed a white porcelain urinal as a work of art in 1917. He called it “Fountain”. This challenged peoples ideas of what can be considered art. The unusual display was enough to cause a discussion that still goes on today.
Maurizio Cattelan had an artwork called Comedian. This had a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019. People instantly realised how unusual the idea was. However, it caused people to think about art, money and value.
René Magritte had a famous painting of a pipe with the caption "This is not a pipe". This encourages people to think about the difference between the object and the image.
These pieces show how a simple idea can cause a huge discussion. The artists didn’t need to explain everything.
Using Titles And Captions
Obviously you don’t need to avoid using any words. Having a good title can make your humorous art more interesting.
If you have an image of a small snail on a tortoise wearing racing helmets, having the title Carpool Lane adds another level of humour.
Captions can also be useful. Rather than telling people what to think about, they can add another humorous detail.
Ask yourself if the caption adds anything new.
If it just explains the joke it probably isn’t needed.
When It Can Be Helpful To Explain
Sometimes it can be helpful to explain a little. Some humorous art will be based on cultural references, local events or popular jokes that not everyone will know.
For example, if you have a painting making a joke about a certain political event and someone doesn’t know what happened it can be confusing. Adding a short description can help them understand the background.
It can also be useful to make your art more accessible. People can choose to read the description and extra information so more people can enjoy your artwork.
The key difference here is that you are giving people information they may not know. Whereas if you are explaining an obvious punch line you are just telling them something they already knew.
Tips For Artists
If you are creating humorous art, a few simple tips can help you avoid unnecessary explanations.
Make sure your main message in the artwork is clear. People should be able to spot the important details without having to look through a busy image.
Use everyday situations. Often using everyday objects and situations will create the best unexpected humour.
Use a meaningful title. A clever title can add more meaning.
Ask someone who doesn’t know what your art is about. This will tell you if your humour is coming across naturally.
If people keep misunderstanding the same detail it may be best to improve your artwork.
Some Final Thoughts on humorous art
Humorous artwork should make people smile, think or even look again! It doesn’t always need a serious explanation to show it has meaning.
You should feel confident to let people have their own opinions. Some people will realise the joke straight away, whereas others may notice something different. This is part of enjoying art.
Next time someone laughs at your humorous painting, don’t feel the need to explain. Let them enjoy the moment! If it has worked as a joke there is no need to tell them twice.
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