Henry Moore "Studies of Three Standing Figures" lithograph, 1946

Henry Moore (1898–1986) – Studies of Three Standing Figures, 1946.

Lithograph / graphic print after the artist's original composition
Image dimensions: 29 × 24 cm
Dimensions with mount: 41 × 31.5 cm
Signed in the plate „Moore 46”, lower right
State of preservation: as shown in the photographs

The work Studies of Three Standing Figures belongs to the visual world of the great British sculptor Henry Moore, one of the fundamental figures of 20th-century European modern art. Made in 1946, the composition reflects the artist's preoccupation with the monumentality of the human body and with the relationship between volume, rhythm and space.

Structured as a set of figure studies, the work brings together groups of draped figures treated in a stylised and profoundly sculptural manner. The vertical figures, simplified and almost archaic, point to the classical and primitive influences that shaped Moore's artistic language in the post-war period. The engraved line and the subtle contrast between cool tones and light grounds give the composition a meditative and monumental atmosphere.

This piece illustrates the artist's constant interest in the theme of the human group and in the expressiveness of forms reduced to their essentials, a defining characteristic of his graphic and sculptural work. At the same time, the work retains the sensitivity of a studio drawing and the spontaneity of a compositional study.

The composition is built from several figurative registers presenting groups of draped figures, treated in a plastic language characteristic of Moore: simplified volumes, monumental verticality and a strong emphasis on the rhythm of human forms.

Stylistically, the work belongs to the artist's investigations into the relationship between the human body and sculptural space, investigations that would define his entire mature output. The female figures and the groups of figures are represented in an almost archaic manner, evoking both ancient Greek sculpture and pre-Columbian and primitive influences, sources of inspiration Moore frequently acknowledged.

The present impression bears the signature in the plate "Moore 46" at the lower right and is mounted with a passe-partout. The state of preservation shows traces of the passage of time and the patina typical of period works on paper, visible in the presentation photographs.