Windswept Landscape Henry Moore drawing of Scottish landscape for W.H. Auden
By Henry Moore
Located in New York, NY
One of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist fo¬r the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an edition of 25 printed on vellum aside from the portfolio (edition of 75) and the book. Signed by the artist lower right in pencil; numbered lower left in pencil.
Printed in inky black, this print features a shadowy landscape. Brush sweeps to the left, and the sky is drawn with long horizontal lines. In the bottom half of the composition, the ground looks rocky, perhaps dotted with shrubs.
Windswept Landscape displays Moore’s fascination with light and dark – what he called a “…bias towards the blackness and mysterious depths.” Moore was inspired by the prints of Rembrandt and the drawings of Seurat, and even drew on his memories of viewing the Altamira cave paintings, recalling how some of the images used the shadow of candlelight on the rough surface of the rock to model light. Shortly before starting work on this series of lithographs, Moore had fallen ill, leaving him aware of his own mortality. His mood pervaded these prints with a sense of danger and foreboding.
The Auden/Moore limited edition book and portfolio were exhibited on publication at the British Museum, London, with an accompanying catalogue.
Windswept Landscape is one of a group of lithographs...
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Pieter Bruegel Art
