Hand

Description

This simple print shows two impressions of Johns’s right hand, one made with oil (printed backwards as “lio”), and one with soap. When he made this print, Johns was involved in several projects that involved using body imprints and casts, and he may have also been intrigued by the knowledge that "greasy hands" are capable of making a lithographic mark. Although the label on the image suggests that this was a test print, the hands' gestures imply a defensive or coy posture.

Hand

Jasper Johns

1963

Accession Number

100497

Medium

Lithograph on white wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 34 × 24.5 cm (13 7/16 × 9 11/16 in.); Sheet: 57.6 × 45 cm (22 11/16 × 17 3/4 in.)

Classification

lithograph

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

U.L.A.E. Collection acquired through a challenge grant of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dittmer; purchased with funds provided by supporters of the Department of Prints and Drawings; Centennial Endowment; Margaret Fisher Endowment Fund