One Winged Hand 1950

Maybelle Stamper made “One Winged Hand” in April 1950, using graphite on paper. The piece is filled with intricate, almost obsessive mark-making, a testament to artmaking as a deep, personal process. Look closely, and you'll see how the texture of the graphite creates a sort of dreamy atmosphere. The marks are delicate, but they build up to form a dense, almost surreal image. The hand, rendered as a wing, is covered in tiny, repetitive marks that give it a feathery texture. This contrasts with the smooth, flowing lines that define the face, which is adorned with spiral motifs. The background, with its abstract patterns, adds another layer of complexity. The whole thing reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint’s spiritualist drawings, where the act of creation feels like a form of meditation. Like Klint, Stamper embraces ambiguity, inviting us to lose ourselves in the details and find our own meaning.