display at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I will be analyzing two of his sculptures, the
“Torso” and the “Relief No. 1. These two pieces are unique in their own little ways. I hope after
reading this paper you can get a feel of what I can interpret from these two sculptures.
Henry Moore was born July 30, 1898 at Castleford in Yorkshire. The seventh of eight
children of a mining engineer and homemaker, Moore was encouraged by his often financially
struggling father to pursue higher education and a white collar career. Henry Moore was the most
important British sculptor of the 20th century, and the most popular and internationally
celebrated sculptor of the post-war era. Non-Western art was crucial in shaping his early work - he would say that his visits to the ethnographic collections of the British Museum were more important than his academic study (Staff, 2015). The “Torso” is a complex piece of work that not only represents the bones of an animal, but it can also be related to the support it gives the body. In humans, the vertebrae, of which the “Torso” may portray, provide immense amounts of support and posture. His sculpture is relatively large, in that it stands about 107 centimeters tall. In 1967, at the age of 69, Moore cast the piece with bronze, creating a completely smooth and shiny surface. As it stands, the “Torso” appears as vertebrae that are locked together, in an upright position-as you would find in the human body. By Moore creating this art piece, he may have provided a sort of anchor for his other work to be based upon. Moore’s other piece, “Relief No. 1,” portrays a woman who is standing against a wall, pushing her knee forward, whilst placing her weight on her opposing hip. The sculpture stands 223.53 centimeters tall and is again, cast in bronze. It’s important later on, to note that instead of having a smooth appearance like the sculpture before, this one appears to …show more content…
Not only is the sculpture leaning to the side, it’s also leaning up against the
wall; the two forms, which are almost out of character for Moore, lend themselves the further
support the claims. Typically, Moore creates pieces that can be viewed in the round rather than
pieces simply to be gazed upon face-on. Because the piece can be viewed in only one way, one
can interpret that Moore is discussing the way we see the elderly in modern society. We don’t
look at them as being multi-faceted as they truly are, but instead, we see them only as they
appear in the present. We can’t see past their physical form, into the experiences during their
lives that have made them into the art piece they themselves have become.
In conclusion, Henry Moore’s art work, like many other pieces around it, are complex
and call upon a deeper understanding of his life and his experiences to fully experience the
beauty of each piece. The two sculptures, the “Torso” and “Relief No. 1,” are tied together, in
that they provide the support and backdrop for the story of the other. Overall, Moore’s life’s
work will forever be left for all to enjoy and interpret as one’s