This UvA alumnus became fascinated by Vincent van Gogh’s signature

Foto: Private Archive

Julia Engelmayer

Why did Van Gogh sign some works but not others?
“That is, of course, speculation. However, my dataset does show that he signed very few works during his early period in Nuenen, whereas during his time in Paris he signed a great many. So signing also depended on his surroundings. In Paris, where he got a firsthand look at the art market and drew inspiration from his artistic peers, he created many still lifes and signed a great number of them. He signed 57 paintings in Paris, many of which were floral still lifes.  In Arles, he signed a further 50 paintings. There, on 13 August 1888, he wrote to his brother Theo: ‘I’d begun to sign my canvases, but I soon stopped; it seemed too silly to me.’”

“As his mental health deteriorated further in Saint-Rémy, he signed only seven paintings. During that period, he probably became even more critical of his work and his self-confidence declined even further. It is therefore plausible that signing his work was linked to how satisfied he was with it. But even that rule does not always hold true. He later expressed his dissatisfaction to Theo regarding a painting that he did sign during that period.”

Why did Van Gogh sign his paintings only with his first name?
“That’s a good question. It was certainly unusual at the time. Perhaps he was inspired by Rembrandt, who also often used his first name. Also, he wrote to Theo that he was afraid foreigners would have difficulty pronouncing the name Van Gogh.”

Foto: Even today, prices at auction houses skyrocket if a painting bears a famous name.”

“Vincent deliberately chose to sign Seascape at Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, 1888 in red. This is a cut-out of the painting”

“Another reason could be that he also found it difficult to see himself as a “Van Gogh”. Van Gogh had a strained relationship with his family, particularly with his father. In a letter to Theo, he writes that he associates his surname with a traditional way of thinking and a commercial mindset, with which he cannot identify. He writes to Theo that he does not want to become that sort of person.

“To me, it is clear that – at least at a certain point in his life – he did not want to be remembered as a Van Gogh. So I find it interesting that even today we still refer to him as Van Gogh, and not as Vincent.”

How important was a signature for a painter in Van Gogh’s time (1853–1890)?
“It’s difficult to make a general statement about that. At that time, there were the Salon painters, who painted according to the strict rules of the art academies. They often signed their work and exhibited in salons in Paris. A signature was often seen as a mark of authenticity. A painting fetched a higher price if it was signed, especially if the name was well-known. Even today, prices at auction houses skyrocket if a painting bears a famous name.”

“Among the avant-garde painters, such as Van Gogh, who broke with the rules of the salons, the use of signatures varied greatly from artist to artist. Gauguin, for example, signed 60 per cent of his paintings, whilst Cézanne signed only 7 per cent. In terms of the percentage of signed works, Van Gogh is slightly below average.”

What is striking about Van Gogh’s use of signatures?
“A rather unusual feature of Van Gogh’s work is that he sometimes made his signatures part of the painting itself. I refer to these as embedded signatures in my research. Some examples are the paintings of sunflowers that he made in Arles. In four of these paintings, he embedded his signature into the composition — you can see his name “Vincent” almost in the middle of the vase. From Van Gogh’s letters, we know that he strongly identified himself with the sunflower motif, which makes it an interesting observation that he seemed to be claiming the subject by placing his name within the composition.”

“Another striking example is the painting Seascape near Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, for instance. While he did not integrate this signature into the composition, but rather placed it as a marginal signature in the left corner, the choice of bold colour seems unusual. He wrote to his brother Theo about it: ‘On a seascape there’s a very outrageous red signature, because I wanted a red note in the green.’”

“There is no fixed rule governing his use of signatures. The Red Vineyard, for example – one of the few paintings he sold – is unsigned. And whilst he often signed paintings that he exchanged with other artists or gave as gifts, he did not always do so. Almond Blossom, for instance, the painting he created for Theo’s young son, who was named after him, is unsigned. Perhaps because the painting is too abstract? The absence of a clear perspective creates a kind of illusion, which he perhaps did not want to disrupt with a signature. Who knows?”