Signatures on works of art are one of the most important elements when attributing their authorship. Other factors such as the style, the age of the work and its origin can interfere, but a signature usually has greater weight at the time of attribution, however, the works have not always been signed, artists with signatures did not sign all their works and not all signatures are the artist's name.

In ancient Greece, art such as sculptures or ceramic painting used to be signed on some occasions, and that is why we know the names of certain artisans today, but being an artist was not a recognized profession in society. Even if it was signed, it would not achieve fame or recognition since the authorship of the art did not receive great value. Anonymity was against the will of the artisans, and issues such as authorship in the arts were only recognized in literature.

Later, artists would be limited by theocentrism, this occurred since the early Christian artistic manifestations of the 2nd century AD. C. until the end of the Middle Ages, which dictated that all creation was from God and the rest were only reproductions, therefore anonymity was not then a choice, but an imposition of the church. Issues such as style and freedom of expression did not appear on the map since everything was dictated by the symbology and iconography of religion. However, after the book of The Lives (1550) by Giorgio Vasari, the names of the artists would begin to be an important part of the works, signatures and authorship in art would become issues of utmost importance for some. Political and social prestige through the acquisition of art became part of Western culture and the best works were needed for this, therefore, it was necessary to know who was the best and what to call them.

Several artists began to give importance to what they were called when they were known, leaving names that have lasted throughout history and sound like rhymes that compose themselves, such as Michelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci, while others were remembered by the pseudonym by which they are known today, since names like Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi or Domenikos Theotekopolus would be more difficult to remember than simply Donatello and El Greco. On the other hand, the pseudonym can also be the wisest solution when in history there is a giant like Michelangelo and years later, with the same profession one is born with the name of Miguel Ángel Merisi; The best thing was to call himself Caravaggio, like the town he came from. Names adopted by the person's place of origin were very common.

Although the name of the artist was beginning to be relevant, his gender was also relevant, which is why the signature was also used to protect the identity of the author from a pseudonym. Freedom of expression still had a long way to go and gender equality even greater. This is why some names we know of artists are not their real identity. A case in which the gender of the artist is hidden would be that of Judith Leyster, however, her story did not happen of her own volition, but after her death all her work was attributed to her husband and the painter Frans Hals; Leyster's signature would even be covered as long as the works were attributed to Hals and their value increased. On the other hand, the war photojournalist Gerda Taro, whose name was Gerta Pohorylle, signed her photographs under the name Robert Capa along with her partner, but Gerda's sudden death would leave Capa's name only under the use of her partner. At the same time, the history of painting would not forgive women who never hid their gender, leaving them forgotten and practically non-existent despite the success they had in life, such as Artemisia Gentileschi who was recognized in life by important figures of the late Baroque, or Louise Abbéma who, despite her recognitions, is not mentioned. Certainly that is not the case for all of them, since we know Remedios Varo, Frida Kahlo, Berte Morisot, however, the time and environment of each one is different and does not subtract the names of other forgotten artists.

Another resource to avoid being forgotten is not to change your name, since recovering the reputation already obtained with a name can be difficult to recover if it is changed. Regardless of the numerous stages, changes and styles that Picasso's artistic production went through, his works were always signed as such, or with another part of his name, being “P. Ruiz” still easy to identify, while other artists such as the Japanese Katsushika Hokusai, the use of different pseudonyms for each stage that his art went through, can somewhat complicate the search for his works, the attribution and the consolidation of the idea of his complete production.

Today, the most famous anonymous artist is Banksy, nothing is known about his identity and it seems that his mask against society and history in anonymity is his greatest work, however, there are other artists who at the same time, like Banksy, work with Street art using pseudonyms, a genre in which this seems to be an important characteristic in addition to the social criticisms that their speech usually contains. Anonymity as such is no longer something imposed on artists, but rather a choice and this can be treated from the meticulous care of hiding the identity completely or simply from using an artistic name that separates work life from personal life, function and the scope of these then depends on each artist and their audience.

Sources: Larousse, El País and Agora Gallery.