Henry Spencer Moore

In the process of designing and making Chinese modern sculpture, it is of great significance to pay attention to the dynamics of the creation of foreign sculptors. In particular, Henry Moore, among modern sculptors, so far, has not surpassed the international reputation of the British sculptor Henry Moore. His name is one of the loudest artist names since the Second World War. The reason why he won the respect of the people of the world is that his art is closely connected with the modern industrial society. Historically, the object of sculpture has always been to shape sacred heroes, sages, political leaders or athletes. Before the 20th century, it was unheard of to create an image with neither practical goals nor specific content. Henry Moore's works have created a new sculpture language for the era, which is a language of dialogue with the environment and a modern language full of human nature. It gives people enlightenment, many of which come from ideological breakthroughs.

Henry Moore was born on July 30, 1898, in a miner's family with many children in Castelford, West Yorkshire, England. He joined the local grammar school in 1909. He joined the army during the First World War, went to France in the summer of 1917, returned home for treatment due to poisoning, and retired in February 1919. In the same year, he was admitted to Leeds Art School and won the prize of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In September 1921, he went to London to receive strict classical sculpture training. Two years later, he obtained a degree certificate and became a graduate student in the third year. He began to have a strong interest in ancient Egyptian, Etruscan, Mexican and African sculpture. He visited Paris at the beginning of 1923, and then went to Italy. He was deeply attracted by religious sculpture in the Middle Ages and classical masterpieces in the Renaissance. These rich nutrients make Moore never let his art deviate from the path of humanism. From 1925, he worked as a teacher in the Academy of Fine Arts until 1939. After that, he gave up his teaching post and lived in the suburbs of London to engage in professional sculpture creation. During the Second World War, as a wartime artist, he created and painted many sketches of wartime anti-emptiness. In 1948, he won the Venice International Sculpture Award. Since then, his sculpture reputation has become famous at home and abroad.

As the most famous contemporary sculptor, Henry Moore received honorary degrees from Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge and other universities in his later years and the highest medal of merit in Britain.

In 1977, he founded the Henry Moore Foundation and used all his property as the fund of the foundation to support young sculptors to hold exhibitions and transform his manor into a sculpture park for the world. On August 31, 1986, the famous sculptor of the 20th century died at home at the age of 88. Now the Chinese sculpture industry is also trying to hold various exhibitions to make modern sculpture acceptable to most people and integrate into our daily life.

Although Henry Moore, the British sculptor, did not make a major revolutionary creation, he showed a comprehensive understanding of the various techniques presented to the sculptors in the 20th century, and more than any other artist, he can reflect the historical sculpture tradition. He is also a critic with the most insight and understanding of modern sculpture. Moore has the ability to make his sculptures vivid and interesting from any angle. He accepted the influence of Blancussi and created his own "form consciousness". He also learned the metaphor of sculpture from Picasso and surrealism. It is in this way that he enriched the meaning of his sculpture.

Moore's main sculpture subject is the female body, usually lying, but sometimes standing or sitting, occasionally holding a baby, and the head features are weakened to have the same effect as other parts of the body. This image is obviously influenced by the ancient Indian stone carving in Mexico. The figure is regarded as a prototype, without specific time and place, nor any special hint, but only arouses a feeling of respect. What Moore wanted was for the audience to pay homage to the characteristics of women's role as a symbol in any culture, even in how primitive culture, such as "The Reclining People" (1957 - 1961). In the early 1950s, Moore made a new exploration, and the characters became thin and thin. For example, in "The King and Queen" (1952-1953), the faces of the characters were flat, the clear eyes were penetrating holes, flashing the sky, and the image maintained the personality and the dignity of the emperor. Moore has also developed the use of emptiness. In "The Leaning Mother and Son" (1960-1961), the emptiness inside the body has independent meaning. Today's most beautiful words are not the reason for the classic. Many classic arts also exist after denying a lot of art rubbish. I hope our market can also leave space for these independent and special sculptors to create.