Henry Moore Textiles (Paperback)

Moore's numerous designs for textiles, only a few of which reached production, have until recently remained virtually unknown. Yet these compositions reveal many illuminating aspects of his work and are intricately connected to his aims, particularly as a Socialist who believed that art could function as an intrinsic part of daily life, stimulating a new approach to living through contemporary design and materials. Motifs such as barbed wire or twisted safety pins give his designs a distinctive hard edge, while enigmatic motifs such as clock hands harken back to Moore's pre-war experiments that mediate between the camps of the Surrealists and Expressionists. Vibrant and sometimes dizzyingly intertwining streaks of colour anticipate the gestural freedom of Abstract Expressionism, and question the pre-conceived notion that Moore was somehow divorced in his aesthetic pursuits from his contemporaries in the avant-garde. Moore once said that colour for him was 'a bit of a holiday', and his work in textiles gave him unrestrained freedom within which to experiment in this sphere.

This book surveys and interprets Moore's fabrics, printed in numerous colourways, for scarves, dress and upholstery fabrics as well as large-scale wall panels. Also illustrated are nineteen designs for textiles discovered as recently as 2006, alongside many others reproduced in their true and vibrant colours as never before. It is hoped that the publication will foster a hitherto neglected aspect of the artist's work and encourage others to bring to light further designs and colourways.

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Artists Biography

(b Castleford, W. Yorks, 30 July 1898; d Perry Green, Much Hadham, Herts, 31 Aug 1986). English sculptor, draughtsman and printmaker. Generally acknowledged as the most important British sculptor of the 20th century, he took the human figure as his central subject-matter throughout his career. Although he witnessed revolutionary stylistic changes and the emergence of new sculptural materials during his working life, he borrowed from diverse cultural traditions and artists in order to give his work a profound resonance with the art of the past. His female figures, echoing the forms of mountains, valleys, cliffs and caves, extended and enriched the landscape tradition, which he embraced as part of his English artistic heritage.

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