.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
拍品專文
The present work belongs to a series of maquettes that Moore produced in preparation for Family Group (LH 269, 1949), a life-size sculpture commissioned for Barclay Secondary School in Stevenage New Town, Hertfordshire. The theme of the family had first emerged in Moore’s practice when he was invited by Henry Morris and Walter Gropius to create a work for the village college at Impington, near Cambridge. The college was founded on progressive ideals and aimed to invigorate the community by educating students of all ages. This vision resonated deeply with Moore, who had originally trained as a schoolteacher and maintained a lifelong belief in the social value of education.
The opportunity to create a public sculpture for an educational institution encouraged Moore to reflect, particularly on the family as a fundamental unit of society. Its close interpersonal relationships, he believed, could serve as a model for broader communal values—particularly relevant in the context of civic and educational spaces. Although the Impington project, under discussion as early as 1934, was never realized due to funding issues, Moore remained committed to the theme. From 1944 to 1947, he produced numerous related drawings and maquettes, continuing to refine the concept until he was commissioned for Barclay Secondary School.
The present work was conceived in 1945, at a moment when the idea of family carried deep emotional resonance in the wake of Second World War. With society reeling from the disruptions of conscription, evacuations, and widespread loss, Moore’s emphasis on the parent-child bond—what he termed the “community of life”—reflected a collective yearning to restore stability and a sense of home. These works also marked Moore’s transition toward a broader, more humanist vision well-suited to public art. The Family Group sculptures project essential values of care, unity, and mutual support, offering not only a visual representation of domestic harmony but also a moral framework for a postwar society eager to rebuild. This deeply personal series also paralleled a moment of renewal in Moore’s own life, as his only child, Mary, was born the following year in 1946. The sculptures may thus be read not only as a universal statement on the enduring strength of familial bonds, but also as a celebration of new beginnings—both personal and societal.
The opportunity to create a public sculpture for an educational institution encouraged Moore to reflect, particularly on the family as a fundamental unit of society. Its close interpersonal relationships, he believed, could serve as a model for broader communal values—particularly relevant in the context of civic and educational spaces. Although the Impington project, under discussion as early as 1934, was never realized due to funding issues, Moore remained committed to the theme. From 1944 to 1947, he produced numerous related drawings and maquettes, continuing to refine the concept until he was commissioned for Barclay Secondary School.
The present work was conceived in 1945, at a moment when the idea of family carried deep emotional resonance in the wake of Second World War. With society reeling from the disruptions of conscription, evacuations, and widespread loss, Moore’s emphasis on the parent-child bond—what he termed the “community of life”—reflected a collective yearning to restore stability and a sense of home. These works also marked Moore’s transition toward a broader, more humanist vision well-suited to public art. The Family Group sculptures project essential values of care, unity, and mutual support, offering not only a visual representation of domestic harmony but also a moral framework for a postwar society eager to rebuild. This deeply personal series also paralleled a moment of renewal in Moore’s own life, as his only child, Mary, was born the following year in 1946. The sculptures may thus be read not only as a universal statement on the enduring strength of familial bonds, but also as a celebration of new beginnings—both personal and societal.