How to Confidently Pronounce Artists' Names in the Art Room

I’m about to say something controversial, but here goes nothin!

It is not the job of the art teacher to know how to pronounce every artist’s name ever.

This is not included in the “requirements for art teacher” job listing! In fact, that would be unrealistic, too big a job for art teachers.

Now, let’s unpack all that.

It is not the job of the art teacher to know how to pronounce every artist’s name ever. This is not included in the “requirements for art teacher” job listing! In fact, that would be unrealistic, too big a job for art teachers.

Thinking Kids Clipart from EduClips on TpT.

Art Teachers Across the Globe Pronounce “Van Gogh” Many Different Ways

I’ve always been fascinated by how people pronounce the names of artists. I consider this a phenomenon because the modern pronunciation of an artist's name may be different from the original pronunciation. 

Take Vincent Van Gogh, for instance. Many of us are used to hearing ‘Van GOH’ with the ‘g’ essentially silent. However, some people pronounce it as Van GOFF, especially the Brits. The Dutch have a completely different pronunciation that uses a guttural sound. 

The interesting thing is that Van Gogh is not alive to give us the correct pronunciation of his last name. So, we might never know the answer.

Considering that he was Dutch, the guttural ‘Kokh’ could be the correct way to pronounce his last name. An article on CNN Online alleged that Van Gogh preferred his first name for this very reason.

Since non-Dutch people couldn’t pronounce ‘van Gogh’, he commonly signed his work with his first name. 

I bet all you art teachers have noticed how he signed his work with his first name. Now you know why he did that!

I have been in situations where I said an artist's name, and people scoffed at me. Usually, it’s people who don't know any more than I do about visual art. But they get hung up on the pronunciation of names to a point where they won't talk about the artist. 

Names of well-known artists like Leonardo da Vinci are less challenging because we’re more exposed to the Italian language. But lesser-known artists of non-English descent often have their names mispronounced. The mispronunciation can even discourage others from talking about their art. 

I’ve especially noticed this in schools. Some teachers would rather pick a different artist if they can’t pronounce a name. This is a huge disservice to students. The fear of judgment means students will only know of da Vinci and Van Gogh and miss out on a myriad of beautiful art.

We need to get past that because arts education is more important than mastering the pronunciation of names.

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Art Teachers Should Know That Pronunciations Can Vary Greatly for Many Different Reasons

I married a wonderful Thai man, and I took his last name. When he immigrated to the United States, his name was changed to English characters. As a result, the spelling of our last name is different from its Thai pronunciation.

Some artists’ names could be English translations of their native language. And translations don’t always show accurate pronunciation. Who's to say that we're even spelling these artists’ names correctly?

If I became a famous artist, people wouldn’t know how to pronounce my name 500 years from now. I wouldn’t be here to correct them either. 

We must also consider that pronunciation and spelling of names vary by region. I know people whose last name is ‘Gogh’, and they all pronounce it differently.

There are several people with the last name, Oswalt. Depending on their region, they could pronounce the ‘W’ as a ‘V’. There's tremendous variation in what we do with our names, which is always interesting.

Art Teachers Should Make Every Effort to Correctly Pronounce Names

It's important to try and pronounce someone's name how they want you to pronounce it. Hear this part clearly! You should make every effort to pronounce the names of your students correctly. Heck! Make every effort to learn to pronounce the name every human being you come in contact with on this planet. Be a good human in that way. We surely can do that for each other!

However, Vincent Van Gogh is not here to correct us. And we don’t personally know him. We want to respect and admire his art. The correct pronunciation of his name is therefore not the priority. We don't need to let that keep us from talking about and appreciating his art.

Final Tips for Art Teachers

I encourage you to pick out any artists whose work interests you and look for the pronunciation of their names. I always do the same, but I usually come across two or three different pronunciations. Then I use my best judgment. And that's all you can do. 

A quick reminder:

• Don't let the pronunciation keep you from talking about the artists and their art, especially not in the classroom. Kids need us to model that thinking, talking, and observation, and we need to be as artful as possible. Don't let the fear of mispronunciation keep you from talking about art in your classroom.

• Don't shame people if they don't pronounce something as you do. Talking down on others won’t help anyone grow. Remind yourself that people are doing their best and show appreciation for their effort.

What do you think? Are you a stickler for pronouncing artists’ names the generally accepted way? How do you know it is correct? Any tips for us? I am always eager to hear your ideas!

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