Untitled/Green Power 1975

This print was made by David Hammons, using his own body as a kind of printing press. You see a hand, rendered in grayscale. Above it float four green fingerprints. The image feels immediate, almost urgent, because Hammons used his very self to make it. The fingerprints suggest a kind of benediction or offering. Hammons’ chosen method is very important. He bypassed traditional artistic tools like brushes, instead relying on direct contact, the indexical trace of his own hand. This everyday approach is important, because the artist often engages with themes of labor, race, and class. In this context, the green fingerprints could represent potential or growth, but also the labor and unique identity of the individual. By combining accessible techniques with profound themes, Hammons blurs the boundaries between art and life, inviting us to reconsider what making can be.