Henry Moore was a prolific sculptor, famous for his large bronze abstract works which can be seen all over the world as public art. The three pieces shown in this post were all created by Henry Moore for
the City of Jeddah. Besides these, there are many more that the
sculptor was commissioned to do for the city as well.
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| Large Spindle Piece - by Henry Moore |
From his humble beginnings as a coal miner's son in England, Moore
became an extremely successful commercial artist but he continued his
lifelong frugal habits. His Henry Moore Foundation was endowed with his
earnings and continues to support art education and promotes the arts
to this day.
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| Three Piece Reclining Figure No. 1 - by Henry Moore |
The above piece is one of many of Moore's various reclining figures, a theme he explored mainly with the female form in mind. My own interpretation of the above sculpture is "reclining elephant." Do you see it too?
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| Oval with Points - by Henry Moore |
These Henry Moore sculptures can all be viewed at the new Open Air Sculpture Park in the Middle Corniche, which is the site for the opening ceremony on Saturday, February 1st at 6pm, kicking off the first of many events scheduled for
Jeddah Art Week. The public is welcome at any of the events. Hope to see you
there!
It looks like the park is filled with a lot of wonderful pieces!
ReplyDeleteHi RedPat - On my recent trip to the park, I took over 400 photos! There aren't that many sculptures there, but I always like to photograph them from different angles and distances.
ReplyDeleteOh, I never knew that about Moore staying humble in his lifestyle. Maybe that will help me like his art more.
ReplyDeleteYes, that does look more like an elephant, haha.
Sorry for my lack of comments lately. I'm busy being a grandma until the kids go back to Sydney in April. But I do come over to your blog to catch up every so often. So glad you are back blogging, Susie.
Hi Dina! I find Moore's art very heavy and masculine, even though many of his works are based on the female form. I know how busy it can be being a grandma. I had grandma duty this past summer! Good to hear from you!
DeleteI wonder if Saudis can see how these forms are based on the human body?
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry - As long as they don't look like real humans, I guess it's okay. There are absolutely no public statues that resemble real people here in KSA. Even as far as living creatures go, such as animals or fish, the figure cannot be in one solid piece.
DeleteI worked for a picture frame maker who would go to Mexico to have castings made of bronze statues. We would make the mold in the shop. He was of the opinion that Henry Moore was influenced by the shape of the rubber molds used to cast his bronzes. I had never heard that from someone else, but it is plausible.
DeleteI've always enjoyed his massive sculptures.
ReplyDelete