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I quite like that in Medieval times the artist/ craftsperson was anonymous. (Ruth Addinall)
I gather from a Russian friend that many of the painters in his country feel that to sign them is too egocentric. The painting alone should represent the full 'signature' of the artist. (Tony Angell)
I wonder what the art world would have been like if none of the Impressionists or prior masters had signed their work? (Anonymous)
Artists committed to non-representation believe that a signature completely destroys the illusion of space... signing your work in the world of the more representational art world is still fine. It just depends on which art world you want to be part of. (Adria Arch)
It goes without saying that if someone buys a 'Robert Genn' for $20,000, they will want his signature on it. Imagine showing friends their Robert Genn original and then not being able to show them a signature. The boast-value of the painting plummets! The same principle applies for lesser-known artists, too. (Mike Barr)
Once you're out of college, do what you want with your signature - whatever works for you. You don't have to do anything the way they taught it in art school. It's not that hard to hide the signature and blend it in with the painting... It's there if you look for it, but a juror probably wouldn't have time. (Theresa Bayer)
The surface of the work is being used for the image and to sign it would change the 'concept' and bring in another element. I do sign it on the side or on the back. (Eve Bennett)
A gallery owner mused about covering up the signatures with tape so that people who were in the gallery couldn't type in the artist's name on their phone, search the Net for the artist's website and then later purchase the artist's work directly. (Rena Bierman)
I considered that the painter's personality should be kept out of things, and therefore pictures should be anonymous. It was I who decided that pictures should not be signed, and for a time Picasso did the same. (Georges Braque)
I thought that from the moment someone else could do the same as myself, there was no difference between the pictures and they should not be signed. Afterwards I realized it was not so and began to sign my pictures again. Picasso had begun again anyhow. (Georges Braque)
My paintings tend to be rather small. I am concerned with every square centimeter in terms of the overall composition. At the request of a dealer, I have experimented with my initials down in the corner, but to me it looked like graffiti. The signature seemed invasive. (Peter William Brown)
In Southeast Asia, when a painting is unsigned it means it is not an original work but a copy of another more well-known artist's work. It will therefore command a fraction of the price of an original, signed work. (Catherine Chin)
I rotate my work as I paint, so usually, not always, the 'right' way is determined by the viewer and what they see in the work. (Jan Corcoran)
Signing to bring attention to a certain part of the composition can draw viewers in - or throw them out! Depending on the painting's style or subject, a signature hidden among the objects can become part of the interest of the whole, inviting the viewer to find it. (Nikki Coulombe)
-reply to question, "Why sign in English?"...
To me, watercolor is a Western medium, so when I feel like I am using a Western manner I will use English to sign my name. (Liu Dan)
Knowing the identity of the artist must affect a judges reaction to a painting to some extent. (Roger Davis)
I use a hand painted chop that becomes a part of my painting. It does not distract, but instead adds to the overall design. It is a prominent part of the painting and has definitely become my brand. (Sonja Donnelly)
An unsigned painting is not finished. An unfinished painting is not dutiable and, I think, not taxable. Good? (Alexandre Dupuis)
I seriously considered signing my Chrome Banana, cast as single piece without a big hole, inside so that it could only be seen by X-ray. I thought of signing the peel but, even there, I did not - I wanted to achieve the illusion of perfection. But I always felt that I should have signed it. (Gary Eddington)
Unsigned work makes it much easier to be a victim of theft in the computer world where many pieces of art are now submitted for competition - just another aspect to the importance of a signature. (Lori Fairchild)
Artists have been signing their paintings on the back for over 50 years. I don't think this to be a trend. (Frances Ferdinands)
J.M.W. Turner (1775-1859) didn't usually sign his paintings. Mind you, he wasn't much of a marketer, either, as most of his paintings were still in his house when he died. These, collected for unpaid taxes, became the basis of the Turner Gallery in London. (Pete Gagan)
No signature! Absolutely astounding!... Only at the stratospheric top end of easily recognizable brands could it be countenanced. (Jim van Geet)
This evening, while signing my name on a painting, I was thinking I might stop signing my cheques. (Robert Genn)
I hate signing paintings and yet have found it to be absolutely crucial to my sales... serious collectors look for it. (James Goodliff)
If I see a painting I particularly like, the first thing I want to know is where I can see more of that artist's work... I'd be frustrated if there were no signature. (Tom Hoffmann)
Not wanting my signature to be obtrusive, I usually inscribe it modestly in pencil right into the wet paint. (Marvin Humphrey)
My gallery always checks, "Did you sign these?" Not on the back, as always, but on the front. (Joseph Jahn)
The signature mars the painting... I have often struggled to find a suitable space to sign a painting without interfering with a 'precious' passage. (Mira Kamada)
I'm able to sign my name to the paintings. That is really a blessing. (Margaret Keane)
A big signature on the front of a painting is like wearing clothes covered in logos; it's tacky and makes you look insecure. 'Branding,' however, is a useful marketing tool, but has nothing to do with artistic merit. (Douglas Kincaid)
I have seen no evidence to support the comment that works unsigned on the front do not sell as well. In fact, over the years, I have seen many, many paintings degraded by poor choices the artist made in signing their name on the front. (Ted Lederer)
I have a long name, and I don't like scribbled signatures; so I paint in my Hebrew initial in a kind of chop. (Sam Liberman)
Paint it, sign it, frame it, sell it. (Doug Mays)
If you don't sign you work somewhere, believe me the gallery owner will put someone else's name on it to get rid of it. And it won't be yours. Don't sign at your peril. (Richard Mazzarino)
I believe the brain activity involved in looking/ seeing is interrupted by reading. I don't want to be distracted by extraneous words when viewing images. (Nina Meledandri)
I find words, letters, numbers, dates and signatures distracting... and juror selections are swayed by knowing who's work they are seeing. As for dealers, it's their job to 'inform' their clients of who's who and what's what. (Odette Nicholson)
Most Russian artists almost never signed on the front of their paintings. They did it on the canvas back... where any written information ought to be. This applies also to the smaller paintings, especially with artists' names exceeding the length of admiration. (Alex Nodopaka)
We should make a conscious effort to develop a signature that is unique, as well as elegant, unobtrusive and readable - something which contributes to the finished artwork rather than detracting or distracting from it. (Paul Paquette)
In art school I was taught not to sign my paintings. I didn't for years after graduating until, one day, I realized that it was just stupid... maybe never compete with them in the market? It's like some kind of sick elitist joke. (Karla Pearce)
If not having a signature reduces sales, perhaps something other than quality work is involved. (Tiit Raid)
Whatever mark you make, make it your own. It will pay off in the end when you start to sell... Buyers want to know who they are buying. In fact, it's a badge of honor to show off a signature. (Rick Rotante)
Many works have no "up." A signature is usually a good indication of where the artist believes "up" to be on an abstract work. I don't want to influence the viewer/possible owner into thinking that it won't fit into almost any space or that their personal taste is upside down or sideways. (Nola Russell)
Normally my work is complete in itself and does not allow any addition of any sort. More over, my style is my signature. I face no problem on this account. (S.K. Sahni)
A distinctive painting style requires no signature by the artist. (Ian Semple)
A signature on one of my stained, gently nuanced paintings is visually jarring. (Judy Singer)
Several of the framers I have used for my own work have been reluctant to frame an unsigned piece until I can come back and sign it. (Juanita Smith)
- interview, 1964...
Judge Joel Jones, my father's father... And his mother was a Miss Sparhawk, that's where I get that name... Yes, my father used it... Jones is not much of a name. It has no designation. Too many of them. If you need a name it makes you... (Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones)
The signature detracts from the appearance of the painting stylistically... is a little jolt to the viewer, bringing him back into the room, when I hope he'll 'lose' himself in the world of the painting. (Leslie Tejada)
I would like to have a conversation with Mr. Warhol about why he didn't always sign his work. I would hope he would use my excuse as it relates to the graphic rather than painterly images in his work. I'm afraid, however, his answer would be, 'Oh, honey, if you don't know by looking at it that it's mine, you don't deserve to know!' (Suzanne Thompson)
Signing a work is essential for authenticity purposes - but I'm not a fan of flashy and/or large signatures. I've seen many a painting ruined by the signature. (Katherine Tyrrell)
A painting without a signature is like a Big Mac without a pickle. (Author unknown)
We've all seen paintings with signatures in red, splashed across the bottom so obtrusively one wonders about the size of the artist's insecurity complex, or signed up the side, vertically, signalling, 'Look at me, I'm different!' (Stephanie Vagvolgyi)
I was in the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Not a one of her works were signed! (Jan Werdin)
Gender discrimination. I sign my paintings with the most masculine signature I can muster. (Jane Whittlesey)
Right, not signing our paintings is equal to not signing cheques! It is also equal to not acknowledging, in public, that our children are ours! (Mona Youssef)
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