Analysis of Antonio Lopez Garcia's 'Mary's Hands'

'Mary's Hands', 1964
Antonio Lopez Garcia
Pencil on paper

Antonio Lopez Garcia's 'Mary's Hands' is a realistic drawing with pencil onto paper, representing two hands washing an object over a bowl. Garcia has not used definite lines to represent the outline of the image, however has used different layers of light and dark shading to portray the shape and form of the picture.

The use of only monochrome colours create a large contrast of light and dark, giving the drawing a dramatic effect. The whites in the piece are typically symbolic of purity and cleanliness, whereas the blacks could be representative of evil or death. The fact that the background and most of the image is white could be symbolising that 'Mary's hands' are pure, and the subject of the picture shows are washing, also representing cleanliness and purity.

Garcia has used a mixture of soft and hard pencils to create different effects relevant to the subject. The use of soft pencils add tone and shape to the image, also adding a layer of shadow and creating a three-dimensional illusion. The use of hard pencils, however, adds more detail to the picture, making it look more realistic. For example the sharper lines in the wrinkles of the hands and the markings or outline of the bowl create a layer of shape and definition, adding to the realism of the drawing.