Recently, one Sunday, I visited The Henry Moore Foundation at Perry Green in Hertfordshire. One of the most interesting aspects of the visit was seeing his workshops, studios, sheds, greenhouses and interior of the house. I was brought up about fifteen miles away in another part of Hertfordshire and remember, as a child, being struck by the strangely convoluted flints that I'd occasionally dig up from the garden or discover, unearthed, while playing on quiet weekend building sites near home (a rite of passage generally denied to today's youth). They reminded me of archetypal 'modern sculptures', though I don't think at the time I was overly aware of much of Henry Moore's art or his presence in the same county. It seems
he was very aware of these flints too as there are several dotted around his studios and the influence on his work is striking.
The formation of flint is still a partial mystery (though likely to concern the actions of molluscs and sponges in sedimentary rock) which is reflected in their mysterious shapes.
I was inspired to produce these comparative sketches:
More Moore:
....less is Moore
....more or less.
Reflections on Moore's printing studio:
