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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. |