Georg Baselitz: Hands
Hands, on display from 13 April to 15 May 2021, focuses on two new series of prints that explore the subject of the hand. Estranged from the body, the hands writhe and twist, emerging in a series of renderings that form part of Baselitz鈥檚 ongoing survey of the human form, which has been at the forefront of his practice since the 1960s.
The first series, entitled Eine Hand ist keine Faust, 2019 鈥� translated as A Hand is not a Fist 鈥� consists of 12 etchings, each depicting Baselitz鈥檚 hand clenching, pointing, grabbing and twisting. Gallery director David Cleaton-Roberts comments; 鈥淓ach one is a delicate depiction of the artist鈥檚 own hand, drawn onto the copper plate in a variety of positions and each printed in one of three colours. The second project is comprised of two complementary suites of ten aquatints titled Mano 鈥� one group printed in gold and the other in white, depicting an abstracted representation of a hand, printed onto dense, dark backgrounds. The two suites show distinct and contrasting renderings of a hand, both haunting and powerful.鈥�
The second suite of prints Mano (gold) and Mano (white), 2019, consisting of ten aquatints each, hover closer to abstraction as the hands, now more fragile and open, emerge from a dark background, appearing to loosen their grip. Hands showcases a pictorial device for which Baselitz has long been recognised, with all his images appearing upside down. For the past fifty years he has subverted traditional representations of the human form by upending his figure and its component parts. This inversion acts partially as a vehicle for Baselitz to remove focus from the narrative content so that he can explore the mark making itself.
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Hands, on display from 13 April to 15 May 2021, focuses on two new series of prints that explore the subject of the hand. Estranged from the body, the hands writhe and twist, emerging in a series of renderings that form part of Baselitz鈥檚 ongoing survey of the human form, which has been at the forefront of his practice since the 1960s.
The first series, entitled Eine Hand ist keine Faust, 2019 鈥� translated as A Hand is not a Fist 鈥� consists of 12 etchings, each depicting Baselitz鈥檚 hand clenching, pointing, grabbing and twisting. Gallery director David Cleaton-Roberts comments; 鈥淓ach one is a delicate depiction of the artist鈥檚 own hand, drawn onto the copper plate in a variety of positions and each printed in one of three colours. The second project is comprised of two complementary suites of ten aquatints titled Mano 鈥� one group printed in gold and the other in white, depicting an abstracted representation of a hand, printed onto dense, dark backgrounds. The two suites show distinct and contrasting renderings of a hand, both haunting and powerful.鈥�
The second suite of prints Mano (gold) and Mano (white), 2019, consisting of ten aquatints each, hover closer to abstraction as the hands, now more fragile and open, emerge from a dark background, appearing to loosen their grip. Hands showcases a pictorial device for which Baselitz has long been recognised, with all his images appearing upside down. For the past fifty years he has subverted traditional representations of the human form by upending his figure and its component parts. This inversion acts partially as a vehicle for Baselitz to remove focus from the narrative content so that he can explore the mark making itself.
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