In the art world an artist’s signature is a
very important thing. Art students are told it is vital. “Experts” cry out
about its importance. Read any “business
advice” for artists and you will read somewhere about how important a signature
is. I suppose a signature can be an interesting thing to see, and a
verification that the piece of art you are looking at really IS a Matisse or a
Picasso or whatever. I mention those two
because they are two of the most recognisable artist signatures:
Also easily recognisable are signatures
by Monet, Renoir, Pollock, Degas, and my favourite –
Oscar Kokochka – who just signs his pictures “OK”:
However, others are harder to recognise –
try these ones for a bit of fun:
(answers at the end)
Now these are all famous artists of the 20th and 21st centuries and you’ve got to imagine that all of these guys spent time practicing their signatures, in the hope they’d be famous one day, but really their efforts are disappointing. Didn’t they know that a good signature is vital to all pieces of art, according to all experts? A good signature is necessary to help your pictures look professional, to be easily recognised by “experts”, (and to use as your website banner).
But, I am told you aren’t supposed to use
the same signature you use to sign cheques – which means you have to have TWO
signatures. Well actually possibly more for when you’re signing drawings and
prints instead of paintings. Perhaps just using your initials is a good idea,
but not everyone has a great set of initials like Oskar Kokoschka . I was
thinking of changing my name to Vladimir Gorbachev – not for any political
reason but I just feel like out-doing Oskar and having V.G. written in the
corner of my paintings.
Actually I am jealous of artists with good signatures. Some (like a number of those mentioned earlier) just use their surnames or their initials and this looks pretty cool. Van Gogh of course only used his first name (that’s Vincent, not Van) - I have taken to just doing my initials (except when I forget) and I’m going to try a couple with just ABSE written in the corner – however I am worried that this means that somewhere down the line my work will be attributed to the Association of Boat Safety Examiners. One of the worst signatures I’ve seen recently was by a painter who put his initials – preceded by a copyright symbol! Given that most of his (very very very bad amateur) paintings were painted straight from other people’s photographs this raises another interesting point!
Another thing artists use is a monogram.
Usually a superimposition of the initials of
both first and second names. This was common centuries ago, and painters
who generally used monograms included Durer, Michelangelo and Leonardo.
Whistler just drew a butterfly, and many painters appear not to have signed
their pictures at all, for example, the Mona Lisa (but has anyone looked on the
back?).
Interestingly ArtBusiness.com advises that
“no work of art is complete” without a signature. Gosh, if only they’d told
Leonardo. Maybe he didn’t have the internet. But reading further I am told
there are RULES about signatures *gasp*. I have to sign in the same
media in which the painting was done – otherwise people might later on think
it’s a forgery. Shit that means I have to sign my name in about 14 different
media for each damn painting! Screw that! I am also advised to “date your art” “Don’t
sign over varnish”, “emboss your paper work” etc. Aargh. Elsewhere I am advised
that “all serious artists sign their work on the back”. Elsewhere again I am
advised that a signature should be “clear and legible”. Someone go and tell
those guys!
Actually, the best advice about signatures
I have read is by Picasso, who said that the act of signing a picture was the
act of finishing a picture – the act that delineated the time to stop. And
that’s another thing…
