Working Model for Knife-Edge Two-Piece 1962

Here's a little working model for a larger sculpture by Henry Moore, made with bronze, that lives and breathes. I imagine Moore building this up, smoothing it down. It's lovely and rounded, like a well-worn pebble, and has been so thoroughly considered. It invites touch, doesn’t it? I want to feel its temperature. These two forms lean into each other, supporting each other. One form has this almost beak-like element at the top, this gentle, curving hollow, and the other mirrors its shape, creating a dialogue between the two parts. What a feat to make such a hard, cold material seem so organic! Moore reminds us of Barbara Hepworth, another British sculptor interested in organic forms. They were good friends, constantly looking at each other's work, thinking about what the other was doing. That's what being an artist is all about – a conversation across time, inspiring each other. It's an ongoing exchange, a dialogue between forms, materials, and ideas.