Henry Moore, O.M., C.H. (1898-1986)

The six reclining biomorphic sculptural forms in the present work illustrate the artist's statement that his drawings were executed 'as a means of generating ideas for sculpture, tapping oneself for the initial idea; and as a way of sorting out ideas and developing them' (H. Moore, 'The Sculptor Speaks', The Listener, 18 August 1937, quoted in D. Sylvester (ed.), Henry Moore Sculpture and Drawings, 1921-1948, 4 vols, London, 1957, vol. 1, p. xxxv).

In the present work, the six sculptural figures are isolated in space and float on ledges. These ideas were developed in a drawing from the same period Reclining Figures: Ideas for Stone Sculpture, 1944, in which each figure appears in an individual pod in a subterranean setting, recalling the 'mysterious fascination' that 'caves in hillsides and cliffs' (ibid. p. xxxiv) held for the artist. Moore's interest in underground landscapes had previously been expressed in his 'Shelter Drawings' series of 1941, depicting figures taking refuge in the London Underground during the Blitz, and in his coal mining drawings of the same year.