Henry Moore Research Paper

Henry Moore

Aimy Tran
Mr. Cox
Period 1

Henry Moore was an English sculptor and artist who was known for his abstract bronze sculptures. Moore was born on July 1819 in Castleford, Yorkshire. He attended infant and elementary schools in Castleford, where he began modeling in clay and carving wood. He decided to become a sculptor after hearing Michelangelo’s achievements. Moore was granted a scholarship to Castleford Secondary School after a teacher had noticed his interest and talent in medieval sculpture. He determined to make art his career. His art teacher broadened his knowledge of art. When Moore turned eighteen, he was called to the army. After the war, he received an ex-serviceman’s grant to continue his education. In 1919, he became the first
student of sculpture at the Leeds School of Art.
In 1921, Moore won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art in London. His knowledge of primitive art and sculpture extended. In 1929, he married Irina Radetsky, and they lived in Kent where he could work during the Royal College holidays. He was obsessed with the idea of direct carving. Moore and his wife moved to London where they met Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, and the critic Herbert Read. Moore was interested in Surrealism, when Nicholson was interested in Constructivism. In 1936, Moore’s work was first seen in the USA. It was included in an exhibition entitled Cubism and Abstract Art, at the Museum or Modern Art in New York. Moore's early work is focused on direct carving, in which the form of the sculpture evolves as the artist repeatedly whittles away at the block. In the 1930s, Moore's transition into modernism paralleled that of Barbara Hepworth; the two exchanged new ideas with each other and several other artists then living in Hampstead. Moore made many preparatory sketches and drawings for each sculpture. Most of these sketchbooks have survived and provide insight into Moore's development. He placed great importance on drawing; even
when he had arthritis, he still was able to draw.

Summary: What I learned was Henry Moore was a great artist. He had such great talent that his teacher granted him a scholarship. His art teacher broadened his knowledge of art, and he decided to become an art teacher. His parents did not support him training as a sculptor, but that never stopped him from doing what he loved. After Moore went off to war, an ex-serviceman gave him a grant to help him finish his education. He later became interested with primitivism and the influence of sculptors such as Constantin Brâncuşi, Jacob Epstein and Frank Dobson led him to the method of direct carving, in which imperfections in the material and marks left by tools became part of the finished sculpture. Moore had won many scholarships from his works of art. In 1924, Moore won a six-month travelling scholarship which he spent in Northern Italy studying the great works of Michelangelo, Giotto di Bondone, and Giovanni Pisano. In the 1930s, Moore became an active member of the informal modern art movement, with the ideas and innovation of people like Pablo Picasso and Jean Arp. In 1932, Moore took up a post as the Head of the Department of Sculpture at the Chelsea School of Art. Moore, Hepworth and other members of the The Seven and Five Society would develop more abstract work, influenced by their frequent trips to Paris and their contact with leading progressive artists, such as Pablo Picasso, George Braque, Jean Arp and Alberto Giacometti.