Some artists hide a signature or defining mark within their work.
A signature on a piece of art generally authenticates an artwork as being created by a specific artist, and also helps halt the spread of forgeries. Signatures can take many styles and can be found in a number of locations around a piece of art. You can commonly find a signature in the bottom or top corner of a drawing or painting with other signatures found on the frame, back or stretcher of an artwork.
Anon
Prior to the 18th century artworks were not commonly signed by all artists, with the term "anon" -- meaning anonymous -- attached to art that was signed or attributed to a specific artist. From the 18th century onwards the majority of artists began to sign their artwork across a wide variety of fields, including painters and sculptors. The use of signatures spread to include cartoonists and illustrators of the 19th century as a way of providing evidence of their work in a crowded marketplace. Signatures are often applied to art as a sign of completion for the artist, with unsigned works often those that are abandoned or do not meet the standards of the artist.
Types
Signatures on a piece of artwork can take forms including the initials of the artist, and a monogram can often take the place of a signature. An impression or stamp is often used in other cultures, including in Japanese and Chinese painting where chop marks are left in the picture. Some artists also use symbols left within the art to depict the artist; dates and locations are also often used on pictures. Members of a school or association are often asked to leave a mark to denote the class the artist studies in. Experts use each type of symbol or mark to authenticate the artwork as being created by an artist during a specific timeframe.
Problems
Problems can often arise with the signatures left by artists on their work, including incomplete or illegible signatures that make authentication procedures difficult. Where an artwork is unsigned the market value of the work reflects the possibility the identified artist did not complete the work. In some cases artists have left ambiguous signatures that do not specifically refer to the artist themselves, according to ArtLex.
Collections
Artists often use signatures to authenticate an artwork, as a way of stopping forgeries of their work from being sold for high profits. Collectors and art experts use signatures and other factors, such as the style, colors and materials by the artist for authentication purposes. Artwork signed and authenticated by an artist or expert maintains its market value in comparison with works that are not signed or cannot be authenticated.
