MOORE
Intheirdifferent mediums, Henry Moore (1898-1986)
and Francis Bacon (1909-1992) created unforgettable
images of the human figure. The distinctive visual
languages that each artist developed over more than
halfa century were marked by a growing simplicity and
‘monumentality of form. Their perspectives differed:
Moore clung toa beliefin humanism, while Bacon
espoused post humanist, nihilistic view of the world,
In expressing their visions of humanity, the two artists
had very different approaches: Bacon working fromthe
outside in, disintegrating and dissolving form; Moore
from the inside out, pushinganatomical structure to
the surface. IfBacon’s images suggest flux, chance,
and the arbitrariness of existence, Moore's sculptures
have been interpreted as universal symbols of strength
and endurance.
‘Bacon and Moore first exhibited together in agroup
exhibition at the Lefevre Gallery in London in which,
Bacon showed his Three Studies for Figures, atthe Base ofa
Crucifixion (1944), propelling him into the limelight for
the first time, Moore showed two sculptures from the
1g3osand fourteen wartime drawings, some of which
anticipate the theme (though not the savage imagery) of |
Bacon's triptych,
Exhibiting together ina commercial gallery was
repeated twice in the 1960s, when Moore and Bacon were
both represented by Marlborough Fine Art. These joint
shows, extensively reviewed in the press, gave critics
chance to compare the artists’ radical approaches to the
Juman figure, which were seen as complementary rather
than conflicting. Fifty years later, this publication once
again brings their work into direct comparison.BACON sore