The Sunday News
Tafadzwa Gwetai
ARTISTS in all their genres at some point have a strong desire to put their signature to their work. In the beginning an artist is in search of their own voice and is either under the wing of a senior artist learning or is self taught through imitation. There comes a point in their artistic growth process that the young artist seeks to branch out and become ‘themselves’ and stand alone.
When one decides to stand alone it is a result of desiring to be their own person and own unique artist. All artistic fields such as spoken word, the written word, theatre and song have similar growth processes where the artist needs to be original and self defined.
To have a ‘signature’ in the context of the arts such as sculpture, painting and printmaking the idea of a signature is more tangible than the other fields of art. Paintings are the most prominent art forms that have the artists signature in a more profound and distinct manner. It has become common trend to sign ones painting on the lower right side of the painting.
A signature is the defining point of the creation process of an art work. IA defining point in terms of affirming the actual completion of the work of art. A signed work is a complete work, where the opposite would be true where an unsigned work would be classified as incomplete.
Artists signatures first became prevalent during the early Renaissance, which saw art production shift from co-operative creative systems to a celebration of individual creativity. The quest for individuality gave rise to the need to establish ‘brands’ of themselves. A ‘signature’ was the perfect way to differentiate your artistic skill from that of the other artist.
A signature was the artists way of leaving his or her mark and market themselves as a self made brand. Signatures are also commonly used to keep a record of time, place and medium, as much as they are a signifier of a completed work. As the artist develops and gains more confidence in both style and and concept it becomes more important to sign ones work so as to authenticate ones creation. Signature styles vary and each one becomes the symbol of the artist.
Art collectors and Gallerists are concerned with the signature as this is their way of determining authenticity of who and when the art was created . The signature on a painting or other work of art has always been an important item in the assessment of art. Fake signatures are sometimes added to enhance the value of a painting, or are added to a fake painting to support its authenticity.
This has resulted in certain controversy where some argue that collectors of art focus on the signature and not the art itself. Some artists can become a brand that goes beyond the aesthetics of their creations. A signature for an artist is similar to the importance of a business stamp. A business stamp acts as a seal that confirms the authority of either the creator or the ownership.
In the process of the artist defining ones self, their creations in their own right become a ‘signature’. The term “signature” is also used to mean the characteristics that give an object, or a piece of information, its identity. The word “signature” may be used to refer to the characteristic expression of a process or thing. An artist with a ‘signature style’, like any brand, sets them apart and makes them instantly memorable and recognisable.
You can think of your signature style as specialising. A signature style can be a particular technique that you use in all your artworks. It could be a distinctive set of colours. It could be a specific style. It could also be a specific topic or subject matter. Writers, poets, and actors also work hard to attain a signature style that asserts them as specialists in their art form.
Having a signature style doesn’t mean that you stick with a certain brand, colour scheme, method of writing within your art, but it means that your style is reflective of your personality and ideals. If your art doesn’t reflect these factors, your personal artistic brand will not be as cohesive and will lack focus. When you think about your art form and your sense of style, think about what you want your art form to say about you and go from there.
In museum context signature styles were used to reveal the origins of certain African tribes and their geographic location. Traditionally collected artefacts are studied through their signature characteristics that made them unique and original to its origins and meanings. Artists from Africa are faced with the challenge of staying authentic to themselves even more so in these contemporary times where art styles are being imitated and fused with others. It is best to be an original than to be ‘another’.
‘Legalise Art’, promote, permit, admit, validate, legitimise, decriminalise, authorise, permit, make legal, make lawful.
