First you try and make out a few letters, then you determine if it is a oil ,watercolor or whatever the medium is. Then you must have a Monograms and Signatures book, either American or European version. Try and match up the signature, Can be very time consuming. I spent 2 years before I think I know the artist on a oil painting.
The original painting should have the artist's signature, and maybe you can even spot the brush strokes or the artist's fingerprints. Most of the reproductions don't have the artist's signature.
It depends on whether or not the signature is real or fake.
A lithograph is generally a copy of a work, usually produced by the original artist. This would mean that the signature on the work would be real, although it can be faked on occasion.
Just because it has what seems to be a signature in pencil it is just a print. I have the same print 10/20 and the only actual copies have the artist's hanko or stamp which is kanji character on top of the written signature. waah.
That is up to the viewer. But an artist's signature means work finished, whichever side of the painting.
illegible
The artist that signed his paintings with the signature Dennis, was Denis Dutton.
Unless you've heard of an particular artist. The signature NZ comes from an art school in New Zealand.
Look at your handwriting, martin. It is Illegible, no one can read it.
the signature of georgia o'keefe look like this :
This handwriting is quite illegible.
An artist's proof is a very early proof impression of an engraving or similar - often distinguished by the signature of the artist.
The teacher said the girl's messy handwriting was illegible. The boy made a Xerox copy of math questions. The copy was blurred and illegible. Many doctors' prescriptions are illegible. Illegible writing often causes miscommunication. Illegible carving on a gravestone made the words look like it said "in bed". "This is illegible!" the mother complained about the teacher's penmanship.
The original painting should have the artist's signature, and maybe you can even spot the brush strokes or the artist's fingerprints. Most of the reproductions don't have the artist's signature.
unclear, oblique, fuzzy, illegible, unrecognizable
Illegible means unrecognizable or unreadable, as in 'His handwriting was illegible" or "Until we found the Rosetta Stone and it was deciphered, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics were illegible to us."
The word illegible is an adjective which means cannot be read; typically it is used to describe very bad handwriting. His handwriting was illegible.