Details

A small man is standing on a large hand. He is looking upwards and his body is tense, with fingers splayed. The man is balancing on the index finger and thumb of the large hand, a feat that seems difficult enough in itself, but his exertion is of another nature. He is gazing with rapt attention at something in the sky, as though he were receiving a message or taking part in a dialogue. Carl Milles worked on The Hand of God from 1949 to 1953. This was one of three major commissionshe received in the 1950’s and completed before his death in 1955. The original was made for the Swedish city of Eskilstuna, and today it can also be seen in other places around the world, for instance in Tokyo, Melbourne and Beijing.

During his time in Paris, Carl Milles was inspired by the sculptor Rodin and his works. Rodin was fascinated by hands. In his studio, he had several cabinets in which he stored sculpted hands. In later years, Carl Milles embarked on examining and sculpting his own hands. He was profoundly influenced by Rodin’s ideas and believed that a hand expressed a person’s inner essence. The sketch for the sculpture of The Hand of God was actually modelled after Carl Milles’ own left hand and could thus be said to represent the hand of the artist and creativity. Like many of Carl Milles’ later sculptures, it is poised on a tall pillar. In his youth, Carl Milles was deeply interested in astronomy. This interest grew over the years, and his works focused increasingly on philosophical questions about the sky, the universe and the existence of God. By raising his sculptures on tall pillars, they became part of the mystical firmament.