This is one of my favourite Henry Moore sculptures, simply entitled Two Large Forms. (His titles were never the most imaginative!) A huge bronze, one of four casts of the 1969 sculpture, it sits in the Country Park at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), with sheep grazing around it. I love the patina it has developed over the years and I love the way it changes depending on the light and on where you stand in relation to it. Moore said he was influenced by the local landscape. (He was born in nearby Castleford). It is tempting to ascribe recognisable subjects to its simple but sensuous shapes and lines. Male and female? Bones and vertebrae? Who knows... but I defy anyone to look at them and not be drawn into exploring them visually and responding to them in some way. The two forms twine around each other, never quite touching.
My own response this time was to home in on some of the sweeping lines and to enjoy the colouration of the piece, which has recently been returned to its beautiful outdoor setting after undergoing conservation work.
I didn't take a photo of the work in its entirety this time so here's a picture I took in 2014, under different lighting conditions:
Magnificent. I really must get myself down to the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green in Hertfordshire sometime.
ReplyDeleteAnother of the casts is here in Grange Park just outside of the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).
ReplyDeleteReally? That's amazing.
DeleteThat is amazing! And your photos really capture the subtleties.
ReplyDeleteI like these.
ReplyDeleteLove your abstract photos of the interesting sculpture.
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