Rechterhand 1610 - 1641

Curator: Here we have "Rechterhand", or "Right Hand," a pencil drawing by Anthony van Dyck, created sometime between 1610 and 1641, a jewel from the Dutch Golden Age. Editor: Immediately, there's a delicacy to it that grabs you. It's just a hand, yet so full of character. The shading is masterful; you can almost feel the bones beneath the skin. Curator: Van Dyck, a leading light in Flemish Baroque painting, made this study with pencil. His connection to Rubens undoubtedly shaped his early techniques, as we see here, this study being a component of his larger body of preparatory studies. These hands… often feature prominently in his portraits and figure studies. Editor: It's interesting that you mention the preliminary work, it reminds me of some Renaissance artist preparing themselves; like life drawing...it captures a momentary gesture that feels both fleeting and timeless, and its intimacy and lack of pretense speak volumes. Curator: And that is significant. Hands in portraits often denoted status or trade, indicating much about the sitter. What, I wonder, does this right hand convey? Editor: Perhaps simply skill. The hand is open, receptive, creative. And a slight awkwardness makes it much more human, right? It's like watching someone's hand and sketching this hand. It is all that they do. Curator: Perhaps. Consider the societal context; Antwerp was at the heart of artistic innovation during that period. The patronage system deeply influenced artists' creative freedom. Editor: Right. It's easy to see this drawing as a stand-alone beauty, detached from all those considerations, which may take you down the art-for-arts-sake way, which is wrong. Without these considerations this work becomes something else. The pencil lends it this kind of fleeting immediacy, a study ripped from a moment that continues to invite us. Thanks for putting it in perspective! Curator: My pleasure! Studying Van Dyck provides ample opportunities to observe art's profound connection with its contemporary moment. Editor: Precisely! It’s that conversation across time, and across contexts, that makes experiencing art so rich.