Magnetic Fields
OF ALL THE CONTRASTS we have seen in the pairs and trios
of drawings by masters and makers, perhaps these two are
the most extreme. In culture, meaning, and composition
they are polar opposites. The mournful gray landscape of
Henry Moore's northern British field has gathered by night
an overcoated audience to stand and wait before a wrapped
and roped monument. This is an ironic drawing from
Moore, a sculptor, expressing his dry humor about
sculpture, audiences, and art in the landscape. The image
stands out among his more usual graphic works in which
he hones and carves semi-abstract human forms.
Opposite, as if Moore's wrapping has been literally
outstretched, a great Shoshone drawing blazes with the color,
heat, and action of a buffalo hunt. This is just one of many
precious artifacts from a lost time, which still narrates vivid
days in the lives of an energetic nation.
HENRY MOORE
British sculptor who trained and taught at the
RCA, London. Moore toured Italy as a young man,
and loved to draw in the British Museum. The
human form was the vehicle of his expression and
he was the official World War II artist.Chalk and graphite This fog-bound but humorous gathering of
souls is made in graphite and colored chalk with gray wash.
Moore's spectators appear to have walked a long way from
nowhere to witness and wait beside this mysterious obelisque.
A glimmer of gold light appears from the left No explanation
is given, and we, as fellow watchers, join in the waiting.Crowd Looking at Tied-up Object
1942
173 / 8 x 221 / 2 in (442 x 571 mm)
HENRY MOOREGATHERINGS