Examining the signature as a work of art – mass

Background: In ancient times, humans employed various methods to commit and guarantee the counterparty in transactions and social interactions, in order to oblige them to a specific matter, and for that commitment to be verifiable and enforceable. In this path, humans achieved accomplishments such as the use of seals, fingerprints, etc. throughout different eras. Still, due to the obstacles in the way of using each of these achievements, and following the expansion of capitalism and the industrialization of societies, the promotion of general literacy and knowledge, and based on a social contract, humans turned to the use of signatures in the form of a visual form and as a symbolic sign of their identity, which found universal application.
Objectives and Questions: This article seeks to introduce, examine, and explain the effect of the signature as a work of art - mass, which is also capable of reproduction, using the views of Walter Benjamin in the article "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and Theodor Adorno's critiques of it; another secondary goal is to explain the criteria and factors that play a role in introducing the signature as an artistic work. To achieve these goals, the present research seeks to answer the following main and secondary questions, respectively: How can the signature be explained and introduced as a work of art - mass? By what criteria can a signature be considered an artistic work? It is worth mentioning that the scope of this research does not address modern methods of signature, for example, electronic or digital signatures, or new devices related to identifying people's identities through various methods.
Research Method: In this qualitative study, the research method is descriptive-analytical in terms of strategy, and in terms of the ultimate goal and the nature of the research topic, it is considered a fundamental-theoretical and applied type. The initial information and findings are collected by reviewing the written, electronic, and visual literature related to the signature, and are analyzed by descriptive, explanatory, and interpretive methods. The photos and images used in this article are selected in line with the topic and issues raised in the main text and from various sources. The present article uses a historical methodology for analyzing qualitative data, which is based on an inductive (part-to-whole) approach and seeks to identify the pathology and truth so that in this way it can perform a logical and final analysis of the research-based on the logical connection and continuity of opinions and events, which ultimately this article concludes with discussion and conclusion using the research findings and an interpretive and critical approach.
Results: According to the opinions expressed by Benjamin in the treatise "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and Adorno's critiques of it, the analysis of the data obtained shows that the effect of the signature among the artistic works is considered an exceptional work because its reproducibility is done without the use of technical and mechanical reproduction tools, but unlike Benjamin's opinion, it is not produced in bulk, but is created manually based on the need in everyday life, and the nature of its creation is inherent in the nature and essence of every human being; and at any time and any place that a person wills, it is created uniquely, therefore it always has authenticity, thus, contrary to Benjamin's views, with the universalization of the signature, its original character is always preserved, and despite its repetition, it remains unique and original, and its manifestation is preserved. According to Benjamin, despite the familiarity of the masses with modern works of art, the aesthetic thought and visual literacy of the masses have increased over time, and its effect can be seen in the creation of artistic works such as signatures as well. On the other hand, the creation and use of signatures in the modern era has caused art not to remain only in the possession of the elite of society and the supervision of capital, and has spread among the masses, and in this way, class differences and social inequality have also decreased, therefore it can be said that contrary to Adorno's opinion, the effect of the signature as a modern art is not far from the masses or the general public; and although the signature is a mass work and the masses create and use it independently in various situations of everyday life and in the issues of the modern world, such as political, social, economic and cultural events, through individual taste and creativity, it is not included in Adorno's definition of mass art, because the masses here are not caught in the culture industry and the purposeful production of standard and template culture by the ruling system, and they create it with complete intellectual independence, and also contrary to Adorno's opinion, the use of the signature as an artistic work has not only caused the backwardness of the masses, but in addition to raising the flag of the culture of the masses, it has also provided the conditions for progress in daily activities and in the market, and has led to the expansion of communication between the masses, and the masses, in addition to being consumers of the signature, are also producers and creators of an artistic and beautiful work.
Studies show that the signature can be introduced as an artistic work with criteria and characteristics such as structure, medium and form, text or context, time and place of creation of the work, which are considered as criteria and indicators of an artistic work, and contrary to the belief that Adorno believed in, the artistic work does not only include fine arts or high arts that existed in a place such as museums and or out of the reach of the masses or were only created by artists, but now everyone can create a work such as a signature, and everyone can be considered or named as an artist, and his signature can also be considered as an artistic work.