Why did Van Gogh sign his paintings simply as ‘Vincent’?
And why did he sign so few? The intriguing story behind his signatures
Van Gogh is most unusual in signing his work with just his first name, "Vincent". However, there has been no detailed investigation into why and how he used his signature. Julia Engelmayer, an art historian from Amsterdam, conducted a study titled "Simply 'Vincent': An Overview of Van Gogh’s Signed Paintings" which shed light on this mystery.
Of the 1,000 paintings Van Gogh created, only 16% bear a signature. This is an unusually low proportion for a 19th-century artist. His colleague, Paul Gauguin, was more prolific in signing his works, signing 60% of his paintings.
Van Gogh's decision to sign with his first name had two reasons. Firstly, his strained relationships with his family, particularly his father, led him to feel distinct from the Van Gogh name. Secondly, he wanted to avoid mispronunciations of his family name. The Dutch found it easier to pronounce his first name, while English, Americans, and French speakers struggled with it.
Interestingly, red was the predominant color used for Van Gogh's signatures, appearing on over half of the signed works. This was uncommon as artists typically signed in less noticeable colors. Van Gogh's use of complementary colors, like red and green, added striking effects to his work. He often signed his canvases at an angle, creating an imbalance in his compositions.
Van Gogh's signatures were often found in the corners of his paintings and sometimes within the actual composition. He would sign his sunflower paintings on the pot, emphasizing his ownership of the motif. The reason behind signing a painting varied; it was usually when he was pleased with the work or when it was a gift. However, many renowned works, like "Starry Night", were never signed.
Van Gogh began signing his works in 1884, after moving to Paris. He was most prolific in signing works in Arles and later in his asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Posthumously, only one of his 73 paintings was identified as signed and gifted during his life, "The Red Vineyard".
Written by urgent.news from The Art Newspaper's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
