Gestures and Hands in Art
Some were better than others!
Rudolph Wittkower’s definitions of
gesture in art
• "We may perhaps differentiate between three pictorial types of
gestures, namely between descriptive, symbolic, rhetorical.”
• "Descriptive gestures, like pointing, elucidate a story or narrative
and are therefore needed when painting or sculpture have to deal
with a literary theme.”
• "Rhetorical gestures reflect and illuminate emotional conditions.”
• "Symbolic gestures belong mainly to pre-Renaissance art; from the
15th century on they are, as a rule, confined to such attitudes as
blessing. I call this symbolic gesture because, in contrast to the
rhetorical ones, we are faced with a code which must be known in
order to be understood."
• Rudolf Wittkower, Allegory and the Migration of Symbols (New York:
Thames and Hudson, 1977): 148.
Gestures in Art
• 16th century Mannerist art and 17th century Baroque art
depict figures whose gestures are active, even vigorous,
and often communicate strong emotions. The lively
gestures of the figures in Mannerist and Baroque art
contrast with gestures of figures in Renaissance art of
the previous 15th and early 16th centuries, whose
bodies are posed to tend to be composed with more
order and harmony.
• Look at Mannerist and Baroque works by El Greco,
Alessandro Vittoria, Bronzino, and Peter Paul Rubens
Introducing Hand Gestures
• Speaking with our hands is something most of
us do without even thinking – it just happens!
• Hand gestures can mean so many different
things to different people in different situations.
• Think about a simple wave of the hand – what
could that mean? Of course, the meaning differs
depending on the speech which accompanies it,
body language and facial expressions and also,
importantly, the cultural, social, geographical and
historical context of the gesture.
Hands in Art
• Throughout the history of art hands in
particular have played an important role in
communicating meaning within paintings.
The symbolism and gestures have
changed their meaning as time has gone
on, so sometimes there are messages
buried within paintings which we need
certain knowledge to understand, but
which people long ago would have known
immediately.
Hands in Renaissance Art
• Leonardo da Vinci employed specific
symbolism within the hand gestures in his
paintings. This symbolism would have
been easily understood by people in the
15th Century. Much of his work portrayed
religious stories, because that was the
tradition at the time and most art would
have been commissioned by the church.
The Virgin of the Rocks
by Leonardo da Vinci
• In this painting, hand gestures give lots of information
about the figures. The Virgin Mary’s outstretched hand
protects the young baby John the Baptist, while his
hands are closed in the form of a blessing towards the
young baby Jesus, whose raised finger shows him
blessing John in return. Mary’s left hand hovers
protectively above Jesus and the angel points at John.
The relationships and symbolism of each member of the
group is clearly communicated through their hand
gestures, some of which we instantly recognise and
others may take a little more knowledge. For example,
did you know that Jesus’s finger gesture symbolised a
blessing?.
Raphael: Madonna and Child
Paintings
• Raphael’s art came to represent an ideal of
perfection, the very definition of easy grace and
harmonious balance. In his many paintings of
the Madonna with the Baby Jesus, he
intertwines the two figures with their mutual
gestures suggesting the bond, respect and
interdependence between the two figures. Hand
gestures are combined with directional glances
and postures to focus the attention of the viewer
onto specific parts of his paintings.
Hand Gestures in Baroque Art
• Hand gestures in Baroque Art at times have very
specific meaning. For example, in the work of
Giorgione (one of the most prominent Baroque
artists) we see portraits of women shown with
one hand resting on her belly, whose rounded
contours also suggest that she is expecting a
child. However, it is possible that the symbolic
gesture of a hand laid on the belly does not
indicate that the sitter is pregnant, but rather
predicts, or promises, a fertile marriage blessed
with a large number of children.
Some who weren’t so good!
• Even the most famous and sought-after
artists had their weaknesses. Have you
ever wondered why some portraits show
people wearing gloves or have their hands
hidden in pockets or waistcoats? Have a
good look at some of the hands in
paintings by Thomas Hudson and
Rembrandt – you’ll soon spot why they
weren’t always a main part of the painting.
Batoni’s Hands and Posture
• Batoni, on the other hand(!), had really mastered the tricky business
of painting hands and used them to add movement, meaning and
feeling to his portraits. His portraits aimed to make the sitters look
grand and truly ‘at home’ in the splendour of Rome. His use of hand
gestures and postures helped this. The term “Swagger” portraiture
sums this up – look at the confidence which this pose expresses
(see next slide) – the hand on hip and open stance tells us the sitter
feels very much in charge and at ease. Imagine the type of posture
that would make the sitter look threatened and anxious – is it the
opposite of the swagger posture?
• In the portrait of John Rolle Walter, the hands are open and wide
apart (see next slide) – what do you think that represents?