I am doing a paper on the ability to identify an artist (for a
painting that does not have a signature or was erased), based on
style, color, subject matter, etc...

I am looking for sources that talk about this. 
(Preferably both articles, and research reports.)

To clarify a little... I want to know the process an appraiser will
take to identify an unknown artist when someone brings it in. I am
looking for a way that can be done WITHOUT lasers, xrays, carbon
dating etc...

Thanks in advance.

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Clarification of Question by dmilleryu-ga on 26 Oct 2004 13:26 PDT

For furthur clarification:
I want to know whether artists do this sort of thing, how they do it
(preferably with specific examples of disctinct styles of an artist(s)
that would tell them it was a Paul Cezanne or something like that). I
don't want things that they use expensive or hard to get products to
tell who the artist is.

I want something that the artist can look at and just say based on the
fact that Van Gogh used alot of color, and he used alot of paint and
paints in lines rather than strokes, there is a good chance its a Van
Gogh.

Obviously, I don't believe someone will make an authorative judgment
based on something like that, but I'de assume an appraiser could get a
pretty good guess that its between these few artists.

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Clarification of Question by dmilleryu-ga on 26 Oct 2004 13:26 PDT

For furthur clarification:
I want to know whether appraisers do this sort of thing, how they do
it (preferably with specific examples of disctinct styles of an
artist(s) that would tell them it was a Paul Cezanne or something like
that). I don't want things that they use expensive or hard to get
products to tell who the artist is.

I want something that the artist can look at and just say based on the
fact that Van Gogh used alot of color, and he used alot of paint and
paints in lines rather than strokes, there is a good chance its a Van
Gogh.

Obviously, I don't believe someone will make an authorative judgment
based on something like that, but I'de assume an appraiser could get a
pretty good guess that its between these few artists.

As no one has yet answered your question, this comment may be helpful
- though in a negative sort of way. I think that in the first instance
most art experts would try to identify an anonymous painting simply by
using their own wide and deep knowledge of painting, and by using all
the evidence before them, rather than any specific technique. As well
as having regard to the subject of the painting, its overall style,
brush strokes and colour range, they would also be interested in the
painting's history (eg how & where its owner obtained it), or such
details as the kind of frame or any marking on the back of the canvas.

In many cases, an expert probably wouldn't be able to identify the
actual artist, but only the probable period and country; or they might
conclude that it was in the style of a known artist but by someone
else. (The fact that a painting was NOT signed might rule out some
artists, even though a painting might look like their work; on the
other hand, a signature apparently by an artist who didn't normally
sign, or signed in a different way,  might be suspicious.)  Remember
that in the vast majority of cases, appraisers are going to be looking
at work by obscure artists, not by the sort of world famous artists
you mention - Van Gogh, Cézanne etc. Any previously unknown work which
looked as though it might be by such renowned artists would certainly
be subject to the most rigorous scrutiny, though at the end of the day
experts might still have to rely on their personal judgment in
assessing whether the work was genuine or not. You might be interested
in the following website articles on the problem of identifying
doubtful Van Goghs:

http://www.artnewsonline.com/pastarticle.cfm?art_id=751

http://www.artcult.com/vinc.htm