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Henry MooreThin-lipped Armourer I: W. H. Auden poetry with Henry Moore, Yorkshire landscape1973
1973
About the Item
This darkly-shaded portrait of two figures is one of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist for the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an edition of 25 printed on vellum aside from the portfolio (edition of 75) and the book. Signed by the artist lower right in pencil; numbered lower left in pencil.
Printed in inky black, Thin-lipped Armourer features two figures subsumed in crosshatched shadow. The figure on the left can barely be seen, and the hollows of his eyes recall a skull. Numerous Moore prints from this series include two heads, perhaps relating to the first lines of Auden’s poem Lullaby. Lullaby was the first poem Moore read for this project, which begins:
“Lay your sleeping head, my love / Human on my faithless arm; / Time and fevers burn away Individual beauty from / Thoughtful children, and the grave / Proves the child ephemeral: / But in my arms till break of day / Let the living creature lie, / Mortal, guilty, but to me / The entirely beautiful.”
This print evinces Moore’s fascination with light and dark – what he called a “…bias towards the blackness and mysterious depths.” Moore was inspired by the prints of Rembrandt and the drawings of Seurat, and even drew on his memories of viewing the Altamira cave paintings, recalling how some of the images used the shadow of candlelight on the rough surface of the rock to model light. Shortly before starting work on this series of lithographs, Moore had fallen ill, leaving him aware of his own mortality. His mood pervaded these prints with a sense of danger and foreboding.
The Auden/Moore limited edition book and portfolio were exhibited on publication at the British Museum, London, with an accompanying catalogue. Thin-lipped Armourer I is one of a group of lithographs presented with the work of poet W.H. Auden (1907-1973). Not conceived as illustrations, Moore wanted his landscape and figure works to stand alone, complementing or contrasting with Auden’s poetry. He and Auden were both from Yorkshire, and the dark landscapes that Moore produced for the project evoke the industrial nature and rugged moors of the area.
Image 8.25 x 11.5 in / 21 x 29.2 cm.
Paper 25.25 x 20.5 in. / 64.1 X 52 cm.
Catalogue reference: Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs, with essay by John Russell, British Museum Publications, London 1974, no. 74 illustrated.
David Mitchinson Henry Moore Prints and Portfolios. Patrick Cramer, Geneva 2010 no. 254, illustrated p. 199
Copies of this lithograph are in the collections of Tate, London; British Museum, London; British Council, London; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University, St. Louis; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; British Council, London; LACMA, Los Angeles; Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; and the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
- Creator:Henry Moore (1898 - 1986, British)
- Creation Year:1973
- Dimensions:Height: 25.25 in (64.14 cm)Width: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:This print is not previously owned and has been stored in the archives of the original publisher since its publication.
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1211214470142
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures, which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced many drawings, including a series depicting Londoners sheltering from the Blitz during the Second World War, along with other prints and graphic works on paper.
His forms are usually abstractions of the human figure, typically depicting mother-and-child or reclining figures. Moore's works are usually suggestive of the female body, apart from a phase in the 1950s when he sculpted family groups. His forms are generally pierced or contain hollow spaces. Many interpreters liken the undulating form of his reclining figures to the landscape and hills of his Yorkshire birthplace.
Moore became well known through his carved marble and larger-scale abstract cast bronze sculptures, and was instrumental in introducing a particular form of modernism to the United Kingdom. His ability in later life to fulfil large-scale commissions made him exceptionally wealthy. Despite this, he lived frugally; most of the money he earned went toward endowing the Henry Moore Foundation, which continues to support education and promotion of the arts.
Find original Henry Moore art on 1stDibs.
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