The Artist's Signature: What's In A Name?

It is said that after the Middle Ages a new component started to be included in paintings. This ingredient distinguished the age artisan from the age of the artist... and turned the artist into the Artist (with a capital "A"). Individual artists were now more than just craftsmen but potential geniuses worthy of collection and stardom. This one specific part of every painting was the artist's signature. There are several artist's who may share a style, subject matter and approach to creating, so the signature exists as the final way to distinguish the identity of the creator. The artist's signature is the way that one distinguishes Caravaggio from just another caravaggisti. Now that we've established the significance of the artist's signature let us ask another question: How does the artist select what his/her signature should be? If your answer is that they just write down their name, then I have a big surprise for you. Many of the most famous artists of history aren't known by their "real" names at all (or only their names). The name that is used as a signature is a carefully considered thing that is chosen to reveal the desired image of the creator. So the question begs: What is in a name? We focus a lot on first names because our contemporary culture bestows great clout on individuality being a paramount aspect of identity. However it is the surname, the family name (or the Last name in the English speaking tradition), that tells the most of the individual's narrative. It is this name that tells the story of the long line of individuals who came together in love (hopefully) to create life. Both of these approaches were utilized in the naming process taken up by the being that we call God. Unlike any other living being, He was not preceded by any other life-form that could name him. This being the case, the Creator had to decide what name to reveal himself as to creation. In this act of progressive revelation, God (the creative Creator) chose to illuminate His identity through the story of his relationships with the long line of individuals who came together with Him in love to create life.

The Family Name 

Exodus 3:1-6

"Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lordappeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God."

Pablo Picasso is considered the most famous and influential twentieth century artist. According to Wikipedia "Picasso was baptized Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, a series of names honoring various saints and relatives. Ruiz y Picasso were included for his father and mother, respectively, as per Spanish law." In spite of Spanish law, artistic custom would have been for Pablo to have chosen his father's name (especially since his father was also an artist). However he consciously chose to identify himself to the world as Pablo Picasso not Pablo Ruiz. He decided to publicly bear the name if his mother and with it reveal his identity in his relationship to his mother. I don't believe it was meant as a slight against his father but society takes note when you name yourself by unconventional means. The world notices when you chose to reveal yourself in the story of those that would normally be overlooked. And yet that us the way that  God first chose to reveal Himself. Documenting a succession of meaningful relationships that had God chose to be known as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Yet these relationships were more than associations, acquaintances  or even friendships. These relationships were the foundation of family. Indeed God would later refer to the offspring of these three patriarchs as "My son." Herein lies the greater revolutionary notion, God identifies Himself by the name of His kids. Now you may interject that God referred to them as His children metaphorically, but I would argue that the truth that the metaphor represents only makes His choice of words more powerful. Let us consider another metaphor that God often used for Israel: his wife. In the Book of Hosea, God calls the prophet Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute. Eventually their relationship runs into turmoil when Gomer returns to her old profession. But the sermon illustration that came out of this ordeal was apparently what God was looking for. Hosea's marital struggle with the adulterous Gomer was analogous to God's marital struggle with an idolatrous Israel. God was married to his people and would not divorce them. So when Hosea was forced to buy his wife back out of the sex trade, God too said that he would redeem (meaning buy back) His people from the sin that ensnared them. So when we hear the name "the God of Israel" we know that it is God taking upon the name of His wife. She is not a perfect or faithful wife but the one that He chose and loves. When we hear "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" we know that it is God taking upon the name of His children. They are not perfect or obedient children but the ones that He bore and loved. The world notices when you chose to reveal yourself in the story of those that would normally be overlooked. That is the identity that God shares in His name. He is the God of those whom He loves.

The Revealed Name

Exodus 3:13-15

"Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’"

Pablo Picasso may have been the most famous artist of the twentieth century but the story of Art has not ended. Modern Art gave way to Post-Modern Art and the galleries and museums yielded their authority to the streets. So Banksy is now the most famous artist of the present.  Like many of his Street Art contemporaries, Banksy signs (or rather stencils) his art with a moniker. Banksy is not his real name... or maybe it is. We really don't know. Their are a few murky details about this art world version of Batman from Bristol, UK. It appears, however, that the sparse details, urban legends and mystery that surround him are exactly what allow Banksy to operate in the way that he so choses. Whether it be on walls in London, New York, Palestine, New Orleans or a warehouse in Los Angeles the allure that Banksy garners and authority that he speaks with are both entangled within his mysterious anonymity. All that we truly know of him are his public works and work history. They may not reveal his face but they indeed reveal his mind and heart. Yet the viewer is repeatedly prodded to ask, "What is your name?" Just like the story of Art doesn't end with Picasso or Banksy, the revelation of the Creator didn't end with God's first declaration to Moses. Like Banksy's viewers Moses is lead to ask, "What is your name?" when confronted with Deity Himself. The answer that Moses receives from God is a simultaneous answer and non answer. God tells Moses that His name is "I am" or YHWH (from here on out we will refer to that Tetragrammaton as "Yahweh". I will not be spelling it out as "Jehovah" because that is a historical misspelling that you can read more about here). "I am" is a non-answer in that it is literally Divine comedy, being a play on words. God answers "I am who I am" in true Popeye fashion. And commands Moses to tell the people of Israel that "I am" sent him. Yet it is an answer in that it reveals the very nature of the Eternal One (though clouded in the mystery of a riddle). Where the reader takes Yahweh to mean "I am" or "I will be" it speaks of the perpetual presence of His existence and character. It says "God is", "God will be Who He is" and "God will be God." Though He encounters Moses in the inexplicable phenomenon of a burning bush that is not fully consumed and retorts to him with a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, God is still choosing to reveal Himself. He just does so on His own terms. So after revealing Himself as the I am, Yahweh doubles down own His earlier chosen method of revelation. He restates that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's narrative, but then He prophetically reveals the God that He will be to Moses and the Children of Israel. Just as God was the sovereign hand of Providence to the Patriarchs, He would be the strong arm of Justice to the Israelites and Judgment against their Egyptian slave masters. At Moses' point in the story of Progressive Revelation All that we truly know of Him are his public works and work history. They may not reveal His face but they indeed reveal His mind and heart. He is the God who acts (in history) out of love. 

The Personal Name

Luke 1:30-33

"Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Some of the most famous names in Art are not necessarily known by their names but rather named by their location. It may not surprise you to find out that Judy Chicago was not born "Judy Chicago." She was born Judith Sylvia Cohen in the city of Chicago, Illinois (big surprise). And Caravaggio was not Caravaggio at all. Caravaggio was the name of the little town outside of Milan that where he was raised. His real name was Michelangelo Merisi. But maybe those two artists don't matter much to you. How about this one: Da Vinci was not really da Vinci. That is why the art-types only refer to him as Leonardo instead of Leonardo da Vinci (one of the many problems with "The Da Vinci Code"). He indeed was named "Leonardo" but "da Vinci" was less of a surname and more of a designator of where he was from (Vinci, a little suburb of Florence). If none of those name inaccuracies impress you then how about this one: Jesus' name wash;t actually Jesus of Nazareth. Just like Judy Chicago, Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci, the second name (Nazareth) attached to Jesus' name speaks of his hometown (hence the "of"). It was to distinguish him from any other "Jesus" walking around at that time. But except for a handful of cases we don't know of that many Palestinian Jews named Jesus during Christ's lifetime, yet the Gospel writers consistantly add disincentives to his name as if Jesus alone was a fairly common name. Why is that? It is because Jesus' actual name wasn't "Jesus" per se but another more common name. It is usually believed to have been the Hebrew name ישוע‎ (Yeshua), a shortening of יהושע‎ (Yehoshua). But there shouldn't be any controversy to this at all; great historical figures like Confucius (from the Chinese 孔夫子 Kǒng Fūzǐ) and Moses (from the Hebrew Moshe) all get their names Latinized before translating them into English. The difference with Jesus' case is that his name "Yeshua" is normally translated into English as "Joshua." Most likely Jesus Christ was not translated as Joshua Christ because there was already a fairly prominent character in Scripture named Joshua. Keeping the Latinized name "Jesus" cuts down on confusion between the two figures.  But there is deep significance with Jesus sharing the name of an Old Testament figure. When we read the Gospel of Luke's account of the Gabriel's announcement to Mary then we see that it is pointed out that Christ shares several similarities with multiple Biblical characters...and that's the entire point. Whether it was Joshua, David and Jacob or even Moses and Elijah, the evangelists and consistently highlighting the parallels between Jesus and those that God worked with in the past. All of them were Shadows and types of Christ. In truth all of Scripture past gives us a prefiguring of Christ. That is why he is called the Word of God just like Scripture is called the Word of God. Jesus is God's Word and the fleshly embodiment of God's mind and heart. The Gospel of Matthew's account of the angel's message to Joseph gives us a more detailed insight:

Matthew 1:21

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Whenever you see a person being named (or renamed) in Scripture it is usually followed by a clause that explains the name choice by featuring the name's definition. The reason for Jesus' name has to deal with "sav(ing) His people from their sins" because Yeshua/Joshua/Jesus literally means "Yahweh is salvation." Within Jesus' name lies his revelation as God's agent of Salvation. The God who acted in the sacrificial love of Jesus.

The Universal Name

1 John 4:7-11

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Whether the artist be Picasso, Banksy or Leonardo, the signature is not only significant as a display of the creator's identity and brand, but because the same brushstrokes are evident in the signature that were utilized in the creation of his masterpiece (or in Banksy's case stencil spray). Both the artwork and the name of the artisan display reveal the hand of the creator. Our Creator is no different. It is most evident in the most universal revelation of his name and identity. St. John informs us that God has revealed Himself to all people everywhere throughout time. However, he has not revealed Himself in the identity of the false gods of the nations but as something more primal and intimate than that. God is not revealed in their idols, religions or superstitions. God has revealed Himself as Love. Love is known and desired by all people everywhere. Indeed it is Love that people partner with in relationship with others to create life. Love is more than an emotion, force or impulse. Love is a being who uses it's emotions to emote love to creation. Love is a being who uses it's force as the power to promote love. Love is a being who endowed it's creation with the impulse to feel love. Love is the Creator. Love is the Savior. Love is beginning of the revelation and the manifested inner working of the God known as Jesus Christ.