Henry Moore

READ THE INFORMATION ABOUT HENRY MOORE’S SCULPTURE AND RESPOND TO TWO OF THE FOLLOWING PROMPTS BY

MAKE SURE YOUR RESPONSES ARE AT LEAST 5 SENTENCES AND ANSWER ALL OF THE BULLET-POINT QUESTIONS TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT!!

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU WRITE YOUR NAME IN YOUR RESPONSE!!

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT – NO TEXT-LANGUAGE!

ABSTRACT ART  "...art unconcerned with the literal depiction of things from the visible world" is Abstract Art - this type of artwork can, however, refer to an object or image which has been distilled from the real world, or indeed, another work of art. Artwork that reshapes the natural world for expressive purposes is called abstract"

Abstract Art = dramatically simplified or stylized.

adapted from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstraction#Abstraction_in_art

HENRY MOORE (1898 - 1986 - English Sculptor) became well-known for his larger-scale abstract cast bronze and carved marble sculptures. Substantially supported by the British art establishment, Moore helped to introduce a particular form of modernism to the United Kingdom.

Moore is best known for his abstract monumental bronzes which can be seen in many places around the world as public works of art. The subjects are usually abstractions of the human figure, typically mother-and-child or reclining figures. Apart from a flirtation with family groups in the 1950s, the subject is nearly always a woman.

Characteristically, Moore's figures are pierced, or contain hollow places. Many interpret the undulating form of his reclining figures as references to the landscape and hills of Yorkshire where Moore was born."

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moore


Prompt 1:

Read the information about Henry Moore and look at his artwork. If you were to create a piece of abstract figurative sculpture, how would you address the following questions?

• Would you use one or more figures?
• What would you try and communicate?
• What kind of texture would you use?
• Would you use color? Why or why not?
• How would you position your figure?
• Would your figure be recognizably male or female or would it be a generic human figure?

Prompt 2:
Henry Moore created abstract figure sculptures based on variations of a reclining female figure and a family group - creating several variations on a theme is called a series. If you were going to choose a theme or subject upon which you would create a series of abstract sculptures:

• What theme or subject would you choose?
• Why did you choose this theme or subject?
• Where would your sculptures be located? Indoors? Outdoors?
• What material would you use - clay, stone, metal, wood? Why?

Prompt 3:

Henry Moore keeps his figures anonymous so that the viewers can see the deeper meaning in the sculptures as opposed to seeing individuals. In this manner, the viewers are able to focus on the larger issues – emotions created by the body language of the figures.

• Choose one of Henry Moore's sculptures (write down the title of the sculpture)
• Describe how he uses body language and positioning to convey emotional meaning
• If more than one figure is in the sculpture, how does Moore create a relationship between them?
• What are the emotions he is trying to communicate?

Prompt 4:

The most important and lasting influence on Moore's work...was the world of nature. “The human figure,” he later wrote, “is what interests me most deeply, but I have found principles of form and rhythm from the study of natural objects, such as pebbles, rocks, bones, trees, plants. In his mature works, beginning with Reclining Figure (1936, City Art Gallery, Wakefield, England), Moore employed swelling shapes, undulating extensions, and rounded indentations that mirror natural forms." from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553790/henry_moore.html

• Choose one piece of Henry Moore's sculpture - write down the title and briefly describe the sculpture.
• How does Moore's sculpture reflect his views about nature?
• From his sculpture, what do you think the landscape of Moore's native Yorkshire, England looked like?
• If you were going to create a figurative sculpture that was influenced by your favorite type of landscape, what would it look like and why?