Essay - The Sculpture of Henry Moore Henry Moore's Long Artistic Career...

The Sculpture of Henry Moore

***** Moore's long artistic career produced a multitude of sculptures with rem*****rkably individualistic traits, although they are clearly the vision ***** a single creative mind. Their simplicity and mass combine ***** a curious gracefulness and lightness, making ***** viewer look closer ***** even attempt to interact with the work.

His sculpture "Reclining Woman," done in 1930 in Horn*****n stone, evokes the heavy power of his early **********. Her big body is a series of undulating hills and simple peaks, like ***** rural countryside where Moore grew up. The surface of the ***** is slightly textured, making it appear tactile ***** non-reflective. The woman lies in a relaxed, yet watchful pose, her knees ra*****ed and apart, and her head counterpoised as if keep*****g track of her surroundings. Apart from ***** jutting breasts, which seem incongruous on her powerful body in the same way as ***** many of Michelangelo's female figures, the figure could be male. The neck, hands and shoulders ***** *****ly made, and the head, w*****h its quizzical expressi*****, is primitive, hairless, somewhat brutish. In this sculpture, we see the influences of both Aztec and Mayan sculptures, and Cubism. Its extreme simplicity and massiveness create an impression of power and peace.

By contrast, *****'s 1939 "Reclining Figure" is a sinuous, flowing shape interspersed with openings. Sculpted of elmwood, the androgynous ***** is highly polished, rich, *****. The shimmering *****, organic-looking apertures and gentle curves suggest bones, shells or dr*****twood, something natural yet refined by time. ***** body and ***** are even more abstract than those of the earlier work, the head merely a knob without features. A slotted opening pierces the head, like a keyhole or ***** hole in a sand dollar. Other gaps under the knees and between arm and body give the structure a light quality and *****vite the ***** to peek through them, constantly acquiring fresh perspectives. Even the fingers curl into a tube, forming a telescope-***** hole through which the viewer can look. The overall impression seems ***** highly artificial (the Cubist and Surrealist influences) and organic (water flowing over *****s, or glowing foothills). It is simple, lovely and, because of ***** air within it that is manipulated in the ***** way as the wood itself, *****.

Family Group" of 1948-49 reflects Moore's love of h***** own family ***** celebrates the birth of his daughter, and also refers to his own happy and secure childhood. The man and woman lean toward each o*****r with their heads, legs and bodies, their arms interwoven ***** they jointly hold and enclose their child. The representation ***** the ***** is much m*****e realistic than in the earlier *****s, although the proportions are ***** exaggerated, the figures e*****ated and the heads smallish. ***** feeling of ***** work is quite classical, the faces stylized in an almost Grecian way; this mood is emphasized by the beautiful folds of ***** *****'s garment that drapes her legs, and by the ***** bench on which they sit. The surface of