Beschreibung:

λ Henry Moore (1898-1986) Four Studies for Seated Mother and Child; Mother and Child verso Pen and ink, watercolour wash, wax crayon, circa 1947-49, signed in black ink lower right, on medium weight off-white wove paper, the full sheet 291 x 228mm (11 1/2 x 9in) We are grateful to the Henry Moore Foundation for their assistance with the cataloguing of this lot. This work will be included in the artist's forthcoming catalogue raisonne and is listed in the Henry Moore Foundation's archives under 2022.15. Lot Essay This captivating watercolour, ink, wash, and wax crayon drawing was created between 1947 and 1949. It depicts the affectionate gestures between mother and child explored from four different angles and poses, the child moving playfully while Moore captures each new perspective. On the reverse, a larger study of the pair is portrayed with a muted colour palette of pale green, yellow and translucent purple wash, the artist's attention here is on the core contours of the body and subtle light needed to create their silhouette. The war years were a time of change and upheaval for Moore who was already a celebrated sculptor by its outbreak. In 1940, after his Hampstead home and studio were bombed, he was forced to stop sculpting and focus instead on drawing. In particular, he sketched those sheltering in the London underground during the Blitz raids (1940-41) and mastered the technique of using wax crayon resist with watercolour and ink washes. The wax resist allowed Moore to play with light and dark, capturing the shapes of figures in the shadows. Mother and Child is one of Moore's most iconic motifs and his increased focus on the subject is notable in the war period. In 1944, he completed a major commission of 'Madonna and Child' for St Matthew's Church, Northampton. This interest was also marked by two major events in the artist's life, his mother's tragic death in 1944 and within two years, the birth of his only daughter, Mary. It was also around this time that the family relocated to Perry Green, Hertfordshire, and his new studios were set in a countryside idyll of bright light and open space. Moore's drawing here moves away from the evocation of life's fragility found in the haunting shelter series and instead embraces warmth and even joy in its study of the unspoken and intimate bond shared between mother and child. Drawing inspiration from African and Pre-Columbian art, the present work was created at the height of Moore's fame and hails from one his most sought-after periods, the immediate post-war years. In 1948, Moore represented Britain at the Venice Biennale, the exhibition was incredibly well received, and he won the coveted International Sculpture Prize that year. Moore said of this landmark exhibition that it "laid the foundation" of his international career. The present double-sided drawing relates to bronzes featured in this exhibition and is beautifully worked in his trademark mixture of inks, watercolour, and wax crayon. λ This lot is sold subject to Artists Resale Rights, details of which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.