PRIMITIVE ART – ABSTRACTION David Aksun L12-8

Carving in Stone

1)Henry Moore

Born in 1898, Henry Moore was meant to be a great sculptor. He was born in
Yorkshire. His father was Irish and was working in coal mining. His father regarded coal
mining not a suitable job for his son. Therefore he went to school in Castleford. In that school,
he was presented with clay which primarily influenced his tendency towards sculpture.
Thanks to his teacher’s help he had oriented more towards sculpture, yet his family didn’t
encourage him in this area. In 1917 his quest was shortly terminated by the severe war. He
was wounded in the World War and suffered quite alot. The most important contributing
factor in him becoming a sculptor was definetely Leeds School of Art. In Royal College of
Art, he became a teacher and until the end of his life he developed masterpieces.

Primitive Art had a great impact on Henry Moore.

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The above piece loacted at Chicen Itza had a profound influence on the style of Henry
Moore. It is a Chac Mool stone statue and is a reclining Mayan figure. The reclining identity,
the way his hands are located, the way his head is positioned and the way he lays on the stone
can be similary seen on most of Moore’s work. As a comparison we are going to be using
Henry Moore’s reclining figure.
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In the most basic sense his piece demonstrates the reclining figure very effectively. He
uses long thin sculpture to lay the foundation shape. The piece’s arms, body, neck can be
recognized. Also there is a specific emphasis on the pelvis region by the way piece is seated.
It is important to note that in direct comparison Henry Moore’s work can be defined as the
Mayan work as the only difference between them is Henry Moore’s work is more abstract and
less human. The basic form is human-shaped. The lines recline and the body is revealed. The
texture definetely looks like human skeleton and the body is balanced on the table. It is such a
perfect balance the body looks like it is reclining in a beach against the rays of the sun calmly.
The scale is as huge as the Mayan statue. To sum up, Henry Moore uses ideas from primitive
art very magnificiently.

2)Constantin Brancusi

Born in 1876, Constantin Brancusi is a Romanian sculptor. From Bucharest to Munich

he worked his way through sculpture and gave his masterpieces in Paris, France. He initiated
carving, when he was just a little kid using wooden farm tool. He has worked for Auguste
Rodin for two months. His family were peasants, thus he was effected by his social class in
his work. He was especially interested in African primitive art.

In his work, forms are balanced through clean geometric lines. His style is based on
abstraction. At the same time he states "There are idiots who define my work as abstract; yet what
they call abstract is what is most realistic. What is real is not the appearance, but the idea, the
essence of things."(5) That is why we should consider his work not just for what it seems, but
for what it means.
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He has been acknowledged for his work by Romania as he built Sculptural Ensemble
of Constantin Brâncuşi at Târgu Jiu. The statue is built to commemorate Romanian soldiers
who fought bravely in the WWI. Its actual name is The Gate of the Kiss which builds on the
theme of Rodin’s Kiss. The short period of time in which he worked for Rodin was definetely
inspirational. The piece is very abstract and has been influenced from primitive art as well as
Roman arches. It closely resembles to Arch of Trajan but the meaning is very different. There
are two column like structures built on each side. On those two columsn there are circles and
the columsn are actually seperated into four peaces, yet they appear united. On top of these
columns, there is a slab of a giant rectangular rock. A primitive square pattern has been
carved onto it showing the influence of geometric lines to smooth the form. In conclusion his
work is mostly inspiring.

3)Barbara Hepworth

Born in 1903, Barbara Hepworth is a very influential English sculptor who is born in
West Yorkshire, England. She studied at the Leeds School of Art, then went to Royal College
of Art, then studied at Italy. In her circle of friends, existed Henry Moore, which has been a
great influence in providing the examplar of a primitive art sculptor.

Primitive art definetely had a great impact on her work. Unlike the industrial 3
dimensional blocks that has no life in it, she built art in the form of organic abstraction.
Smooth, meaningful and living, her art florished. She generally used circular forms and
avoided definite industrial lines.
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This piece from Hepworth is named Figure For A Landscape. The hole theme is
represented and the lines appear distorted to suit the needs of organic existance. When the
viewer observes this piece, they will realize that it provides harmony with the surrounding
environment. It has a rough surface and is balanced by the ground to the highest level
possible. Primitive way of molding has shown its way through this meaningful abstract piece
of work. Barbara Hepworth, in short is a great sculptor.

Bibliography:
1) http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/moore.html
2) http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/mooreintro.shtm
3) http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/mooretoronto/mooretoronto.html
4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moore
5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Br%C3%A2ncu%C5%9Fi
6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Figure-hepworth.JPG
7) http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture/barbara-hepworth.htm
8) http://www.tate.org.uk/magazine/issue5/hepworth.htm
9) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hepworth