Recumbent Figure 1938
Recumbent Figure 1938 | |
---|---|
Artist | Henry Moore |
Year | 1938 |
Catalogue | LH 191 |
Medium | Green Hornton stone |
Dimensions | 139 cm (55 in) |
Location | Tate, London |
Recumbent Figure 1938 (LH191)
Description
Moore's large stone sculpture depicts a reclining female figure, which resembles the undulating landscape of the South Downs nearby. Chermayeff's commission was the first free-standing sculpture that Moore made to complement a specific building, a requirement that became a key feature of his later work. Moore considered the work to be site specific.
It was made from three blocks of Green Hornton, a Jurassic limestone from a quarry near Banbury in Oxfordshire. It was carved by hand, over a period of about 5 weeks, with Moore working outdoors at his cottage, Burcroft, in Kingston, Kent, assisted by Bernard Meadows. One block forms the head, which is abstracted to a bud, with shallow depressions for eyes and slight ridges for a nose and brows. The two other blocks were used for the body and legs. The figure has noticeable shoulders and arms, with pendant breasts hanging over a space where the torso should be, linked to an abdomen and legs. It measures 88.9 by 132.7 by 73.7 centimetres (35.0 in × 52.2 in × 29.0 in) and weighs 520 kilograms (1,150 lb).
Recumbent Figure was based on a smaller sculpture, perhaps the first time Moore create a maquette first rather that moving directly to the final sculpture.[2] The maquette is 13 cm long, and was originally cast in lead in an edition of three; later, two bronze editions of ten and eleven respectively were produced.[3] One of the bronze casts is now owned by the Henry Moore Foundation.[4] Three drawings by Moore are also related to the Recumbent Figure: Reclining Figures (HMF 1184), Drawing for Sculpture: Reclining Figures (HMF 1394), and Ideas for Sculpture: Reclining Figures (HMF 1396).[5]
The work is a development of Moore's earlier stone sculptures Reclining Figure 1929 (LH 59), which was made in Brown Hornton limestone, and his Reclining Woman (Mountains) 1930 (LH 84); and his elmwood sculpture Reclining Figure 1935–6. It is less blocky and more rounded than the earlier works, and pierced with holes through.
Reception
The completed sculpture was delivered in 1938, but Chermayeff had paid only the £50 deposit of the £300 price before he became bankrupt in 1939. Chermayeff suggested to Moore that he could take the sculpture back and resell it. Moore returned the deposit and the sculpture was returned to him. At the suggestion of
The sculpture went on loan for display at the British Pavilion at the
The sculpture became a popular feature at the
See also
Notes
- ^ "Recumbent Figure". henry-moore.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022.
- ^ Tate. "Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity"
- ^ Henry Moore Foundation catalogue entry for LH 184
- ^ HMF catalogue entry for LH 184 cast 7
- ^ HMF catalogue: works related to Recumbent Figure
References
- Henry Moore OM, CH, Recumbent Figure 1938, Tate
- Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity, Tate
- Kenneth Clark: Looking for Civilisation, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 2014
- p,121-132 Sculpture and the Garden, edited by Patrick Eyres, Fiona Russell, pp. 121–132.
- The Architecture of Landscape, 1940-1960, edited by Marc Treib, pp. 58–61.