The Hand as a Portrait

The Portrait of the Hand

In the details of every day life are hidden moments we all share that form our world. They are so easy to miss and to overlook: a touch of compassion , a pat on the back of support, a hand held for comfort, a glance of understanding. Noticing these details are partially what make artists sensitive to the flow of life.

I remember my Grandmother's hands so vividly. She sat me down when I was about nine years old to teach me how to make her famous cinnamon bun rolls. She was a marvelous cook and the rolls were a family treasure. She just didn't realize she chose the grandchild with the worst memory! What I did remember were her hands: how they kneaded the dough, how she sprinkled the flour, how the rolling pin moved in her hands. I remember every detail of her hands, but not the recipe! I later drew her hands over and over. She was a strong woman, who was born in a covered wagon and lived to see the first moon shot. She could wring a chicken's neck, have fried chicken for supper and hold a baby gently at the same time. It was a tough life growing up on a farm and raising four children through a depression with a disabled husband. Her hands were broad, big boned and every wrinkle spoke her life's story.

In these photo's you see my brother holding my Mother's hands so tenderly and gently. This is a portrait that speaks volumes of Mother and son, aging and youth, compassion and sadness, and life reversing roles. Now 98 1/2 my Mother's hands still hold a graceful pose with great strength. If I had to capture my Mother's character in three words, it would be love, grace and strength. I believe her hands reflect the same characteristics.

I remember studying in art history that master artists would call in their most skilled apprentices to do the hands in a painting. Leonardo Da Vinci did hands so well as an apprentice he excelled over his own master teacher. In renaissance paintings we see hands in a more stilted pose with meaning hidden in each gesture. It is interesting when one looks at hands against the backdrop of art history and various styles, how the presentation of hands has changed. It gives us greater insight into how we view ourselves as human beings through history.