Visiting Card Tray c. 1939

This is a drawing by Helen Hobart of a sculpture. It depicts two hands held open, ready to receive something, maybe letters, maybe offerings? I wonder about the act of drawing hands, how hard it must be to capture their complexity, and the subtle contours of bone and sinew. Hobart’s hands, rendered in graphite, feel solid and present, but also like a memory. The paper itself has aged to a warm, yellowed tone, adding another layer of time and history. I imagine Hobart carefully shading each finger, building up tone and texture to give form to this object. There’s something so human about hands, they are always in action. I wonder if Hobart herself had hands like these, strong and capable. Artists are always looking at each other's work. It is like a conversation down the ages, people inspiring each other. Each stroke is like a thought made visible, an invitation to slow down and consider the many possibilities contained within a single image.