Biography: Arts and Entertainment

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Please activate the signature parameter. The discussion above from 22 October 2014 is about a close to consensus as Wikipedia is likely to get. If anyone wants to remove the signature parameter then that should be discussed at Template talk:Infobox person, not here, as that is where the parameter is implemented. Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 13:04, 1 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: Sorry. The template has not supported a signature since 2009. I would want to see a stronger consensus before changing the status quo. And it is quite reasonable that a parameter exists on the parent template, which local consensus determines is not appropriate for this particular infobox. — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 14:28, 1 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I have added error tracking for unsupported parameters to this template. See Category:Pages using infobox artist with unknown parameters. A red error message appears when you Preview the article, between the edit screen and the rendered preview. In the category, the articles are sorted by the name of the parameter that is unsupported.

It appears that the vast majority of unsupported parameters are |bgcolor= / |bgcolour=, |influenced=, and |influenced_by=. If these are not wanted, you might want to file a bot request to remove them.

If I have made any mistakes in coding, or if template changes are desired, please let me know. – Jonesey95 (talk) 14:50, 23 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I was wondering why the signature does not show in the infobox. Lotje (talk) 06:15, 13 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

As a technical question, because the template has no signature parameter.

As an aesthetic/practical question, #Activate signature parameter further up the talk page. There's been no consensus for its addition. for (;;) (talk) 07:48, 13 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]

• I strongly support inclusion of signature parameter. I have been working on cartoonist and illustrator articles, whose signatures are almost as iconic as their artwork. Despite claims of no consensus, there has actually been surprisingly little discussion (see 2009, 2010, 2014). The arguments against seem to be that artists may have more than one signature, that it is not relevant to their work, and/or it looks amateurish. I would counter that it should be an option, not a requirement, and the inclusion of signature fields on {{infobox person}} and {{Infobox comics creator}} attests to its utility. Including a verified signature from a visual artist can help in identifying their works (probably more important for less famous artists). The fact that signatures can vary over time matters no less than that people themselves vary over time: just as in infobox portraits, it should be up to editorial discretion to select the best representative signature, and discuss any significant variation in the article. The last "debate" consisted of 2 supports and 1 oppose, so I think more input is needed. --Animalparty! (talk) 04:59, 22 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]
  • I agree, Animalparty. In the meantime, as a workaround, you can either use infobox person (which does support signatures, as you know), or embed {{Infobox artist signature}}, my ugly rough-and-ready response to the stone-walling here. Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 19:52, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]
• Support Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:06, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]
• Oppose - per long standing argument: [1]...Modernist (talk) 23:52, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]
• Oppose - A photograph or portrait of the subject is expected and is useful for identification; additional forms of ID such as signature, height & weight, fingerprints, family tree, etc. seem overkill. A signature by its nature is a bold graphic and unduly distracting, like a flag; possibly this is one reason Template:Infobox person contains the command "Do not use a flag template" 16 times. To encourage fixation on the artist's signature seems to me a disservice. A signature in an infobox can be of little use to somebody seeking to authenticate a work of art, as signatures are much more easily forged than artworks, and authentic signatures usually vary considerably, so what is the point of displaying one specimen so prominently? It's better presented in context as in Albrecht Dürer or William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Ewulp (talk) 05:14, 7 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I think it would be helpful to include an "other_names" parameter, as in Template:Infobox person. It's not unusual for artists to produce work under more than one name, such as for branding purposes, or to obfuscate their identity when working for competitors, or to separate high-art from low-art work. For example, I had to use the "person" template instead to get this functionality on Oli Frey. -Jason A. Quest (talk) 16:19, 9 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed; and as there is no opposition, done, as |other_names=. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:04, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

Is there a reason "residence" is not supported in the artist box? It is useful when converting an infobox person to an infobox artist, and provides important information. -- Fuzheado | Talk 16:42, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

• Support addition of |residence=. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 22:07, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]
• Oppose - invasion of privacy...Modernist (talk) 23:53, 4 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

No objections, so done. Andy Mabbett (Pigsonthewing); Talk to Andy; Andy's edits 12:05, 12 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]