Yesterday’s post featuring drawings by Kathe Kollwitz introduced the idea of hands as expressive elements within a drawing. I was so excited about the idea of hands doing the talking for a face in a drawing that I made a class to study expressive hands and heads, and I started collecting examples. Some I collected because I appreciated the rendering. Some I collected because the artist surpassed drawing and the art reads as pure expression. I collected so many I’m sending them in installments. This is Part 2 of…. several.
Today is a repost of hands drawn by sculptor Henry Moore. I value drawings by sculptors because they have something in them that’s not commonly found in drawings by artists with a 2D focus. Notice how in these studies of his own hands, Moore doesn’t solely use line to describe visual experiences like light and shadow, he also uses line to describe sculptural experiences like volume, mass, weight, texture, and contour. See how the flesh looks soft, squishy or plump or saggy, while the fingernails or areas where bone is just under the surface looks more rigid. These drawings are physical.
The Artist’s Hand IV 1979 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1986 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-the-artists-hand-iv-p02910
The Artist’s Hand III 1979 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1986 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-the-artists-hand-iii-p02909
The Artist’s Hand I 1979 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1986 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-the-artists-hand-i-p02907
The Artist’s Hand V 1979 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1986 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-the-artists-hand-v-p02911
Moore drew hands to describe the aged body. He made a series of drawings of his own hands when he was eighty-one and suffering from ill-health, and he did more of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s gnarled joints. ‘Hands can convey so much’ he said, ‘they can beg or refuse, take or give, be open or clenched, show content or anxiety. They can be young or old, beautiful or deformed’.
Hands of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin II 1978 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1982 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-hands-of-dorothy-crowfoot-hodgkin-ii-p02643
Hands of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin III 1978 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1982 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-hands-of-dorothy-crowfoot-hodgkin-iii-p02644
Hands of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin V 1978 Henry Moore OM, CH 1898-1986 Presented by the Henry Moore Foundation 1982 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/moore-hands-of-dorothy-crowfoot-hodgkin-v-p02646
“Moore believed his prints were part of a larger history of sculpture and painting, in which artists have shown feelings through their portrayal of hands.” (Source: Tate. Previously posted on V. Notes August 26, 2016)
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! In 1998, a referendum to legalize abortion failed in Portugal. In direct response, Portuguese artist Paula Rego painted the Abortion series, 10 pastel paintings that drew attention to the experience of women. “It highlights the fear and pain and danger of an illegal abortion, which is what desperate …
In these drawings Henry Moore describes the aged body. He made a series of drawings of his own hands when he was eighty-one and suffering from ill-health, and he did more of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s gnarled joints. ‘Hands can convey so much’ he said, ‘they can beg or refuse, take or give, be open or clenched, show content …
A Kolinsky is a member of the Siberian weasel family with tail hairs that are nice for brushes. The casual word used for Kolinsky is sable. There are actually several natural sources for “sable”, and Kolinsky is one of them. This is what a Kolinsky looks like. Isn’t he cute? Sable brushes used to be the highest quality brushes for …
A lot of V. Note ideas wither because they are just one little thought or artwork, and I don’t have it in me to flush them out into a complete chapter. I’ve been thinking I should post more of these single notes. Here’s one: an automatic writing by Bruno Leyval. Automatic Writing/Drawing: writing or drawing produced without …
Drawing Hands: Henry Moore
Yesterday’s post featuring drawings by Kathe Kollwitz introduced the idea of hands as expressive elements within a drawing. I was so excited about the idea of hands doing the talking for a face in a drawing that I made a class to study expressive hands and heads, and I started collecting examples. Some I collected because I appreciated the rendering. Some I collected because the artist surpassed drawing and the art reads as pure expression. I collected so many I’m sending them in installments. This is Part 2 of…. several.
Today is a repost of hands drawn by sculptor Henry Moore. I value drawings by sculptors because they have something in them that’s not commonly found in drawings by artists with a 2D focus. Notice how in these studies of his own hands, Moore doesn’t solely use line to describe visual experiences like light and shadow, he also uses line to describe sculptural experiences like volume, mass, weight, texture, and contour. See how the flesh looks soft, squishy or plump or saggy, while the fingernails or areas where bone is just under the surface looks more rigid. These drawings are physical.
Moore drew hands to describe the aged body. He made a series of drawings of his own hands when he was eighty-one and suffering from ill-health, and he did more of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s gnarled joints. ‘Hands can convey so much’ he said, ‘they can beg or refuse, take or give, be open or clenched, show content or anxiety. They can be young or old, beautiful or deformed’.
“Moore believed his prints were part of a larger history of sculpture and painting, in which artists have shown feelings through their portrayal of hands.” (Source: Tate. Previously posted on V. Notes August 26, 2016)
Ruthie teaches art classes at Seattle Artist League. Click here to sign up for drawing, painting, pottery, and more!
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Take a class with SAL – anywhere! In 1998, a referendum to legalize abortion failed in Portugal. In direct response, Portuguese artist Paula Rego painted the Abortion series, 10 pastel paintings that drew attention to the experience of women. “It highlights the fear and pain and danger of an illegal abortion, which is what desperate …
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In these drawings Henry Moore describes the aged body. He made a series of drawings of his own hands when he was eighty-one and suffering from ill-health, and he did more of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin’s gnarled joints. ‘Hands can convey so much’ he said, ‘they can beg or refuse, take or give, be open or clenched, show content …
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