Review of Henry Moore “Notes on
Sculpture”
Henry
Moore’s “Notes on Sculpture” is a short essay outline thoughts and problems
Moore has pondered over time. It is his
thought that by passing down his own conscious experiences that he may help
others in their approach (68). Moore
believes, “it is a mistake for a sculptor or a painter to speak or write very
often about his job” (68). Expressing emotions
on the work acts as a catharsis and relives tension while guiding the artist to
the path of the theorist (68). Moore
also notes that the artist works with his whole being. That is, the unconscious and the conscious
mind. Though not providing detail on the
unconscious, Moore suggests the conscious mind organizes and resolves problems
(68).
Moore
discusses the notion that the “appreciation of sculpture depends upon the
ability to respond to form in three dimensions” (69). He notes that people have fewer skills with
form than color, and that people generally learn about form from two
dimensions. In addition, people don’t
necessarily try to learn develop their three dimensional spatial ability.
Moore
addresses that people tend to be conditioned to certain shapes. He cites the “mystery of the whole” and
correlations with caves (70). He writes
that he pays attentions to the shapes of pebbles he finds on the beach. It is common for him to find new shapes, not
only in single rocks, but the same shape in many rocks. It is not that the shape is new, it is that
the shape, for whatever reason, has meaning to him at the time (70). He makes a second reference to shapes and
conditioning and notes that people will recognize the connection, unless their
conscious mind turns them off to it (70).
Moore
discusses the human connections to the size and scale of sculpture. He notes that there is “right physical size
for every idea” and that scale is associated with the artist’s vision (70). He notes that people tend to relate to objects
to their own size and that large-scale or small-scale sculptures have better
ability to disconnect the viewer from the everyday perception.
Moore
references the dichotomy of various themes artists use to create good pieces of
art. The conscious and unconscious are
identified as modes to access more abstract notions or psychological ideas
(72). He writes that drawing is a way of
“tapping the initial idea” and also as way to sort out the details (72). Sometimes he starts out trying to solve a
problem, other times something unexplainable presents itself (71).
Moore
end’s his essay by returning to the idea that psychological factors and
associations with forms play a large part in sculpture and he notes “shapes are
important because they have a background in our habits of perception”
(72).
Moore
end’s his essay by returning to the idea that psychological factors and
associations with forms play a large part in sculpture and he notes “shapes are
important because they have a background in our habits of perception”
(72). That shapes associated with the human figure
appeal to Moore is a key to understanding how art relates to the imagination
and working mind of the viewer.
Works Cited
Moore, Henry. “Notes on Sculpture.”
The Creative Process: A Symposium . Ed. Brewster Ghislen. Berkeley:
University of California Press. 1985. 68-73. Print.
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