Vincent van Gogh signature

Dutch painter, 1853–1890

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s signature

A rendering in a modern handwriting font, made for this page. It is not the real signature; see where to view the original below. Where to see the original ↓Style: Mr Dafoe, slant 0°

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Kristi · 4°

Who Vincent van Gogh was

Vincent van Gogh was born in Zundert in the Netherlands in 1853 and died in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, in 1890, at 37. He painted for only about ten years, yet produced some 850 paintings and many more drawings, including The Potato Eaters, the Sunflowers and The Starry Night.

His more than 800 surviving letters, most of them to his brother Theo, are among the richest records any artist has left, and they explain his signature too.

The story of the signature

On the paintings he signed, Van Gogh wrote simply “Vincent”. In a letter to Theo from Arles around 25 March 1888, about pictures being shown at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris, he asked that in future his name be listed in the catalogue the way he signed his canvases, as Vincent and not Van Gogh, because people in France could not pronounce the surname.

He did not sign everything. Many of his paintings carry no signature at all, and he tended to sign the ones he considered finished and good enough to show or sell. The Sunflowers of 1888 in the National Gallery, London, is one: the name “Vincent” is painted in blue on the yellow vase, part of the picture rather than a label added in a corner.

Because he signed in paint, with a brush, the signature changes from picture to picture: its size, colour and placement follow the composition. His letters, by contrast, are signed in ink, usually also just “Vincent”, and sometimes illustrated with small sketches of the work he was describing.

What makes it distinctive

First name only

“Vincent” alone, chosen so French buyers could say it.

Painted, not written

Brushstroke letters in a colour taken from the picture, such as blue on the Sunflowers vase.

Part of the composition

The name sits on an object or in a chosen spot, not always in a corner.

Signed selectively

Many paintings are unsigned; a signature often marked work he was pleased with.

How to give your signature a similar feel

Try your first name alone in the Type tab of the signature generator. A thick, marker-like font such as Mr Dafoe at Slant 0° gives the weight of a painted brushstroke.
For a looser, hand-painted look, draw it in the Draw tab with slow, heavy strokes: the pad makes slower lines thicker.
Choose royal blue ink for a direct nod to the Sunflowers signature.
If your surname is hard for others to pronounce or spell, a first-name signature for creative work is a sensible choice, not just a stylish one.

Where to see the original

These links lead to archives, libraries, museums and Wikimedia Commons.

Questions about Vincent van Gogh’s signature

Why did Van Gogh sign “Vincent”?

He wrote to Theo in March 1888 that he signed his canvases “Vincent” because people in France could not pronounce Van Gogh, and asked to be listed that way in catalogues.

Did Van Gogh sign all his paintings?

No. Many are unsigned. He tended to sign works he considered finished and worth showing.

Where is the signature on the Sunflowers?

On the National Gallery’s 1888 Sunflowers, “Vincent” is painted in blue on the yellow vase.