Working Model for Knife-Edge Two-Piece 1962

Henry Moore created this 'Working Model for Knife-Edge Two-Piece' as a study for a much larger work. It is this kind of preliminary piece which gives you an insight into the making process. I always think of Moore's work as having a life of its own; his shapes feel bodily and alive, like they could breathe or move. The surfaces here are softly textured, and you can see marks and traces of the artist's hand where he's added or subtracted material. Note the space between the two forms, where they almost touch but not quite - it gives them a sense of tension, a kind of magnetic pull. The whole piece is bathed in a uniform tonality, which brings out the subtle nuances of light and shadow across the surface. Giacometti comes to mind, or even Barbara Hepworth. Moore's work opens a space of imagination, inviting us to contemplate the relationship between form and space, mass and void.