Friday, April 30, 2010

Henry Moore

Henry Moore at Tate Britain 28th February to 8th August. The introduction to the exhibition refers to the diversity of sculpture on show as illustrating the extent of his experimentation in seeking a union of material, technique and form.
Whilst this is certainly true the introduction fails to make any mention of Moore's evocative drawings, which range from abstract sketches of form to his dark renderings of life underground in coal mines and wartime air raid shelters. Miners at Work on the Coal face, 1942 (above) certainly removes any notion of romance that might be associated with the working man at his labours. Dark, damp, hot and cramped - these are the realities of working underground that Moore so eloquently captures in his underground series.
Stringed Form, 1938, Bronze and string, was my favourite piece from the exhibition. The fluid curves of the outer form are in complete contrast to the taut, geometric, lines of the strings that seem to attempt to define and confine ambiguous spaces within the outer form.

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