The Hand
Lee Shu Hui
Charcoal sketch
2009

This artwork depicts a statue of a hand, clenching on to a cylindrical object, sitting on a plinth. The light source is coming from the top left hand corner of the artwork. The shadows are elongated. The statue of the hand is realistic.

The shadows have been made especially dark to contrast with the lit parts of the hand and the plinth. The pencil strokes are a mixture of rough and smooth, as the strokes for the background, which was done using charcoal, are somewhat rough, but the shadows, done using a mix of charcoal and pencils, are smooth. The rough background creates a rough, misty feel over the subject matter. Composition is balanced, as the subject matter is situated toward the centre of the picture.

Through this artwork, the artist might be trying to show that the things which we are attached to and cling on to are made beautiful in our own eyes, from our own perspectives, as shown from the light falling upon the cylindrical object, which could signify the things we are attached to. The artist might also be trying to say that we should truly treasure what we already have, as it is of much worth to us, as shown from the clenching of the hand over the cylindrical object, which could show the clinging on of the things which we already have. This artwork is related to the exhibition theme of "Light", as the artist portrays the hand literally bathed in light. This artwork also has a symbolic meaning, that we should always treasure what we have, and also showing our unwillingness to let go of the want for materialistic things, which in our eyes may be beautiful and hard to let go of.