AUTOGRAPHING OR SIGNING YOUR OIL PAINTINGS AND DATING IT.

Two issues are significant here. The one is how you sign your artwork and the other is if you should date it or not.
Autographing or signing – should you sign it very “professionally” or artistically or hide it? That it blends into your color range? Many questions, but the one you should answer is what are other artists, which are painting similar works as yours, what are they doing? Do you find reason in it?
I think the best option is to blend your artistic signature and date that the worked was completed into the artwork in such a manner that:-
1.It does not draw attention to itself.
2.It does not compete with the focus point or main area of interest of your painting.
3.It still contributes somewhat to the balance of the painting or at least does not skew the balance.
4.But it must still be clearly seen on inspection.
If you should do it differently like contrasting color or bright or very noticeable style etc. however, that is your prerogative.
Some artists only put their initials while others put the whole name and surname and even some only the name. If the style is very significant and can easily be distinguished then that could be done. Some artists also sign their work or index their work at the back of the painting as well as dating it.
As to dating your artwork – the older you are, the more important dating becomes. The problem is that you cannot go back to some work that now hangs in a gallery or in another country or in some unknown house or study. By dating it retrospective exhibition could be managed a little easier at a later age. The verdict? I think it is good to date your work.
Final thought and this is just an artist’s opinion – do you want to leave a legacy of artwork? Properly sign it somewhere and date it – alternatively if you only just want to make a sale then do whatever your artistic mind can come up with. Just be consistent or strive more or less to come to some place of doing it with some reason.Or make some artistic statement!