Henry Moore (1898-1986)

Conceived in 1939-1940, Reclining Figure: Snake examines one of Moore’s most fundamental artistic obsessions—the elegant forms of the human figure as it reclines in a languorous, recumbent position. Made up of gently undulating, sinuous rhythms, the sculpture elegantly balances volumetric richness with a contrasting sense of space and openness, as a series of voids are carved into the body. The reclining figure had taken on a new significance for Moore in the 1940s following his experiences as a war artist in London during the Blitz, where he recorded the impact of the conflict on the city’s civilian population in a series of poignant drawings. The artist was particularly struck by the sleeping forms he encountered each night during his journeys through the city’s Underground network, where stations acted as temporary shelters during the opening months of the bombardment. These resting figures, who could be seen huddled together on the stations’ platforms in haphazard groups, greatly informed Moore’s artistic vision, leading the reclining human form to emerge as one of the most enduring motifs in his post-war work.