page_title: Index finger
section_title: Gestures in art
hierarchical_section_title: Index finger / Gestures in art
caption_attribution_description: Sistine Chapel, fresco Michelangelo,
context_page_description: The index finger is the second finger of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger. It is usually the most dextrous and sensitive finger of the hand, though not the longest – it is shorter than the middle finger, and may be shorter or longer than the ring finger – see digit ratio.
  "Index finger" literally means "pointing finger", from the same Latin source as indicate; its anatomical names are "index finger" and "second digit".
context_section_description: As an artistic convention, the index finger pointing at the viewer is in the form of a command or summons.  Two famous examples of this are recruiting posters used during World War I by the United Kingdom and the United States.
  The index finger pointing up is a sign of teaching authority.  This is shown in the depiction of Plato in the School of Athens by Raphael.
caption: A detail from The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo,  1512
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