Learn about Henry Moore's way of seeing shapes as you create your own simple, flowing sculpture.

• 1.

  Henry Moore, a sculptor, was born in Castleford, England, on July 30, 1898. After studying in London, he held a one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1946, and soon became internationally known. His work, which is large and organic (the term refers to natural forms), is bold and simple. He described his method of simplifying form and referring to other natural objects this way: "In my opinion, everything, every shape, every bit of natural form, animals, people, pebbles, shells, anything you like are all things that can help you to make a sculpture" [Five British Sculptors (Work and Talk) by Warren Forma, 1964].

• 2.

  Look closely at Henry Moore's sculptures to notice how simple and flowing his forms are. To create your own sculpture in Moore's manner, begin by observing your favorite animal, or a photograph of one. If you have access to a live animal, wait until the animal is standing or lying quietly. Make a simple sketch of the animal with Crayola® Colored Pencils. Break down the forms you see into simple shapes. If you are using a photograph, look at the largest part of the animal first, and simplify the shapes that you see.

• 3.

  Study your drawings. Connect the shapes to each other with curved, flowing lines.

• 4.

  Choose one color of Crayola Model Magic to make a simplified shape of the animal body. To add one shape to another, moisten the separate parts with your fingers, then carefully seam them together, smoothing over the area you joined.

• 5.

  Add a few details with black and white Model Magic. Dry.

Standards

• LA: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
• LA: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
• LA: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
• LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• LA: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
• MATH: Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
• SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.
• SS: Identify and describe ways family, groups, and community influence the individual's daily life and personal choices.
• SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.
• VA: Analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks through cultural and aesthetic inquiry.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resource includes: The Drawings of Henry Moore by Andrew Causey
• Students write a summary paragraph to accompany their sculpture. In the paragraph, students explain how they followed Moore's smooth, flowing style. Display student sculptures in a public place for viewing.
• Students tour the display area containing their sculptures. Students select 4 or 5 sculptures of classmates to write comment cards on. The comments should be focused on how the sculpture follows Moore's technique.
• Encourage students to create a simplified human form by drawing a person, then making the body thinker and simpler than it looks in real life. Pose the human sculpture in different positions until the student finds one that is graceful and flowing. Smooth out any abrupt changes in the sculpture and display it with a summary paragraph.