The exhibition Slow Hand aims to emphasize the rewards of sensuous touch and imagination in recent painting. Departing from the strictly observed gives the artist free reign in the manipulation of the chosen subject matter. In opposing the perceptual or ocular response to a given subject, the artists in this exhibit approach painting from a conceptual and conceived perspective, resulting in imaginative and sometimes fantastical images that are narrative in nature. Rather than being subservient to the literal appearance of the world or by only admitting events and characters that are likely to occur in everyday life, the artist allows the imaginative and subconscious point of view to exist or even dominate. These artists frequently use techniques, such as glazing or an obsessive attention to detail, that could not be accomplished using perceptual techniques. This way of developing a painting privileges the emotional and psychological over the journalistic and quotidian—or rather, it allows the journalistic and the quotidian to be transformed in order to arrive at a greater emotional and psychological truth.

This exhibit and corresponding programs were made possible by the College Arts and Humanities Institute and the Painting Guild, both at Indiana University.