National Portrait Gallery (2/4)

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.

The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra opened in December 2008.