Prints and Portfolios

I visited the Henry Moore: Prints and Portfolios exhibition at the Henry Moore Institution in Leeds this month. I've long appreciated the work of Henry Moore; however I have to admit I was unaware of the extent of his portfolio. Moore is most acclaimed for his sculptures and his paintings of the London Underground during the blitz, which are recognisable from their fluid and undulating forms. I was really surprised on entering the exhibition, as I did not know that he had also created numerous print and graphic works.

Reclining Figure, 1967

Moore worked mainly with etchings and lithograph printing, which he developed an interest in after the First World War and continued until the end of his life in 1986. What I really enjoyed viewing was the publications that he and various writers, artists and poets - including W H Auden, Hans Arp, Picasso, Max Ernst, Joan Miró and Mark Rothko - had collaborated on.  These are all people that I have been inspired by in the past, so it was really interesting to know that Moore was influenced by them also. In some cases, the books were dedicated to exploring subjects that had preoccupied the artist as a special interest, such as Elephant Skull, Stonehenge, The Artist's Hand, Mother and Child, and Trees.

Red and Blue Standing Figures, 1951

I was really taken back by Moore's choice of colours in his prints. From a graphic design perspective, the colour palettes complimented each other brilliantly and really added personality and depth to his work. The range of pieces and methods of mark-marking was also really impressive. Moore used lots of different techniques on top of his sketches to add texture and detail, as well as layering different sections on top of each other on translucent paper to form images. I liked this approach, it seemed to add another dimension to his work and created a soft aesthetic.

White Forms, 1966 

After the exhibition, I also visited Leeds art gallery, which is connected to the Henry Moore Institute. It was a really good experience, there were a lot of pieces that I recognised, for example the work of Francis Bacon. I find galleries a really relaxing place to be, and I love just taking in all of the sights so it was a really good experience for me.