Does the "M" after the name in this painting mean something?

This small still life oil painting on board is signed J. Bernal M. 87. There is a Jose Bernal that is well known but this signature is different than those I've seen as this is all block letters. The image size is about 4" X 5½" and is framed.

So I'm wondering if the "M" following the name means something. Some version of junior or copy etc?

Sorry for the bad photos but I took them with my phone.

 

u sure that's an M ??
The N looks pretty standard ...

 

It's a second surname, as common in Spanish-speaking countries. (If an "M," most likely "Martínez.") Looks like someone preparing arepas so check out artists from Colombia or Venezuela.

Debora

 

Could be an "N" I suppose but my first thought is "M".

Interesting about surnames only using the initial. I guess that works if people know you.

I googled common surnames beginning with "M" for Colombia and Argentina. The list is Mendoza, Medina, Marquez, Martinez, Montilla, Munoz, Moreno and Montoya. You'd think they'd want to make it clearer who they are but artistic license I guess.

I'll look some more.

 

Spanish family naming conventions go Firstname Fathersname Mothersname (and so on in the maternal line as far as you can trace it). Legally the first name is your "last name" but using the M would differentiate Joachim Bernal-Mendoza from Juan Bernal-Espinoza-Cardinale-Martinez-Lopez (yada yada). It was a way of knowing who as who in the absence of people who could keep written records, among other reasons no doubt. Gila might know better, and might know where that tradition is still upheld.

 

That's as much as I know, Evelyb.
Mexican-Americans and even South of the border for hundreds of miles... people I know of have given it up.

Well, whaddya know? Is this our guy?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Bernal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Bernal
José Antonio Severino Bernal Muñoz (January 8, 1925 – April 19, 2010

 

Gila I don't know. I've looked at lots of his paintings and while he is versatile enough to have painted this style, I can't find a matching sig. He didn't seem to use the "M" and he didn't use all block/capital letters that I've found.

 

Darned artists!