Hands, 1978
12 gelatin silver prints
8” x 10”; edition of 7
Similar to the Nudes, the Hands series is a formal exploration of gesture, but here the chiaroscuro is consistent throughout. I have always been drawn to beautiful hands, and the ones in this series (belonging to a young woman I met on the subway) are extraordinarily elegant. The way they are held alternates between containment and openness, sometimes transitioning between the two. Entirely surrounded by darkness, the hands seem both disembodied, yet alive and expressive.