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| I find myself attracted to hands. So during my visit to the Gallery, that is all I photographed. ABOVE: the left hand of Don Bradman (1908 - 2001) as painted by Bill Leak Bradman played cricket. Actually, Bradman played cricket rather well. Indeed, Bradman may have been the best cricketer the world has ever seen. |
| The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra opened in December 2008. |
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| I find myself attracted to hands. So during my visit to the Gallery, that is all I photographed. Hands in a photograph tell us a lot about the subject. Hands in a painting CAN tell us about the subject, but they can also tell us whether the artist truly valued hands, and paid them due attention.. ABOVE: the hands of Herbert Bradham as painted by Herbert Bradham Bradham (1899-1961) was a middle-order Australian artist, writer, and teacher Below: the hands of Sir MacFarlane Burnett (1899-1985) as painted by William Dargie Burnett was a medical scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1960. He was the first ever "Australian of the Year" in 1960 |
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| The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra opened in December 2008. |
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| I find myself attracted to hands. So during my visit to the Gallery, that is all I photographed. Hands in a photograph tell us a lot about the subject. Hands in a painting CAN tell us about the subject, but they can also tell us whether the artist truly valued hands. ABOVE: the hands of Nancy Wake as painted by Melissa Beowulf Wake (1912-2011) was an Australian journalist who worked in the French Resistance for the English during World War II. BELOW: the hands of Nancy Bird Walton (1915 - 2009) as painted by Judy Cassab Bird-Walton was an aviatrix who worked in the rough'n' tumble of outback flying until World War II, when she became involved with training other pilots. |
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| The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra opened in December 2008. |
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| When one thinks of a portrait, head and shoulders usually come to mind. Occasionally, one sees a full-bodied portrait. Traditional portaiture concentrated upon the face. However, I find myself attracted to hands. So during my visit to the Gallery, that is all I photographed. This will not be a guessing competition, though. ABOVE: the hands of Emily Kame Kngwarreye as painted by Jenny Sages Emily (1910-1996) first painted on canvas in 1988. Yes, at the age of 78. She spent her early years working with camels and as a stockhand in the Northern Territory, and as she aged she became an Aboriginal elder in women's ceremonial business. She spent a decade furiously producing luminous modern works based upon "country". BELOW: the hands of Lowitja O'Donoghue (b. 1932) as painted by Robert Hannaford Lowitja was removed from her parents at the age of two, together with all her siblings. She did not see her mother for another 33 years. In that time, she qualified as a nurse, and became an activist for her people and for "The Stolen Generation". She spent most of her life in public service. Astoundingly, the hands show the history. |
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| The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra opened in December 2008. |