They obey our spirit yet seem to lead a life of their own. They are not obedient servants, nor are they passive identical twins. And yet, they are capable of choreographies that transform dull tools into something alive. Their anatomical structure and functionality are so complex and intricate that only they can create deep landscapes, vast skies, and lively figures from pencil, brush, and canvas. They are the artists who carve wood, forge metal, write books, and pluck the lyre. With their help, the most beautiful melodies and the most captivating rhythms emerge. And when we appreciate what they produce, we applaud. Where else the spirit, imagination, and muse are praised, Henri Focillon lauds the hands of Rembrandt, Gauguin, and van Eyck, these otherwise mute and blind parts of the body.