Barbara Hepworth made her Hospital Drawings after watching surgeons in the operating theatre when her daughter Sarah was being treated. In this picture, the surgeons' hands seem to stand out in their prayer-like and peaceful pose. The paint is scratched through to the white gesso background, a technique known as sgraffito. As a sculptor, Hepworth felt a close connection between her art and the skilled eye and hand of the surgeon. Drawing was an important means of exploring form that influenced her sculpture. The National Health Service was created in 1948 and Hepworth's strong support for this progressive post-war initiative may have added to the intensity of her hospital images.