Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations

by Henry Moore and Henry Moore

Book Overview

Henry Moore's writings constitute a vivid and comprehensive record of his life and work, of the influences that shaped his vision, and of his reactions to the work of other artists, periods, and cultures. Spanning some seventy years, Moore's writings and conversations are much more than documentary records of his life and times: they have considerable literary merit in their own right. This fascinating collection of Moore's written and spoken words...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520231619
• ISBN13: 9780520231610
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.1" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

More to Moore than inventing the hole

My interest in this book came about because Henry Moore is often quoted as saying something like "make it! don't talk about it"; given that, how come there is a substantial book of his writing and conversations? In fairness to Moore most of the entries in this book come from his journals and lecture notes rather than published works. What makes this book so very interesting is Moore's plain speaking about many of the highly complicated issues of art making. I was left with the overwhealming feeling that it would be very nice if contemporary art writers abandoned their incomprehensible elitist academic style in favour of Moore's no less intellectual but ifinitely more readable approach.

A must read for any Moore enthusiast

Editor Alan Wilkinson was a close friend of Henry Moore, and it shows in the care he put into editing this book. Other than the introduction, entitled "Perfect Symmetry is Death", Wilkinson allowed Moore to speak for himself by drawing from the man's own words, through interviews, articles, letters, and even scribblings in his notebooks.The chapters are arranged under the following headings: "Ch. 1: Life and Influences", "Ch. 2: Friends and Colleagues", "Ch. 3: Art and Artists", "Ch. 4: On Sculpture", and "Ch. 5: Works by Henry Moore". Bibliographical sources, list of Moore's most well known work, and a general keyword index can be found in the back.Because interviews Moore gave in 1973 might refer to events from his childhood, Wilkinson took care to put as much of the artist's words into context by surrounding it with other relevant quotations. For example, on page 35, the passage that begins with "In Castleford, where I was born, there are what called sand holes. They're caves where the sand has been excavated" (1973) is followed by "What is a cave? A cave is a shape. It's not the lump of mountain over it" (1962).With a foreword by Alan Bowness. Overall, a very compelling read.

Don't pass by!

The best book available for all Moore fans and those who want to be...