Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity

ISBN 978-1-84976-391-2

Materials and techniques

Henry Moore working on Three Way Piece Carving 1972
Henraux marble quarry
© The Henry Moore Foundation. All Rights Reserved
Photo: Luigi Beggi, Henraux
‘I feel that I can best express myself, that I can best give outward form to certain inward feelings or ambitions by the manipulation of solid materials – wood, stone, or metal. The problems that arise in the manipulation of such materials, problems of mass and volume, of light in relation to form and of volume in relation to space, the problem of continually learning to grasp and understand form more completely in its full spatial reality, all these are problems that interest me as an artist and which I believe I can solve by cutting down, building up or welding together solid three-dimensional materials.’
Henry Moore, ‘The Sculpture in Modern Society’, lecture to Unesco, published in 1954
Moore spoke often about the importance of the different materials he employed and the part they played in determining the forms of his works. The essays in this section explore Moore’s use of particular media, showing the interrelation of his practical and aesthetic concerns. They also examine the broader contexts of his choice of media at particular times.

Essays

How to cite

‘Materials and techniques’, in Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity, Tate Research Publication, 2015, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/research-publications/henry-moore/materials-and-techniques-r1175681, accessed 23 February 2025.