ID:37236
 
Henry Spencer Moore, born July 30th, 1898, was an artist and sculptor of English descent until his death, August 31st, 1986. He was born in the Yorkshire town of Castleford, his father was a mining engineer. Moore became well known for his abstract, cast bronze and carved, marble sculptures. Substantially supported by the British art establishment, Moore helped to introduce a particular form of modernism into the United Kingdom.

Indeed, Moore had an almost tragic love of art, and wished that everyone felt the way he had. This did not show through the simplistic names his pieces were usually given. His niece once inquired as to the reasoning behind this, and he simply stated "All art should have a certain mystery and should make demands on the spectator. Giving a sculpture or a drawing too explicit a title takes away part of that mystery so that the spectator moves on to the next object, making no effort to ponder the meaning of what he has just seen. Everyone thinks that he or she looks but they don't really, you know."

Moore had seven siblings, all born to Raymond Spencer Moore and Mary Baker. His father was a mining engineer who rose to be under-manager of the Wheldale colliery in Castleford. Raymond was determined to deter his children from ever working in a mine, and so he saw formal education as the route to advancement for his children. giving them good lives.

Henry was an admirer of Michelangelo's, and took a great interest to sculpting. He won a scholarship to Castleford Secondary School when he was only twelve, not unlike several of his brothers and sisters. His art teacher was very influential, and encouraged him to explore vast aspects of art, widening his knowledge. Despite his showing early promise, Moore's parents were against him training as a sculptor which they saw as manual labour without much prospect of a career. Instead, after a brief introduction as a student teacher, he became a teacher at the school he had attended.

When he turned eighteen, he was called into the army to participate in World War I. The youngest man in his regiment, he was injured in a gas attack during the Battle of Cambrai. He was hospitalized, and made a full recovery, though he did not return to battle. He spent he remainder of the war as a physical training instructor. He did not find the war personally troubling, stating "for me the war passed in a romantic haze of trying to be a hero." After the war, he received an ex-serviceman's grant to continue his education and became the first student of sculpture at Leeds School of Art in 1919. The school even set up a studio, personalized for him.

While attending Leeds, Moore met Barbara Hepworth, and a very long standing friendship resulted. It was during this time that Moore was introduced to African Tribal Sculpture by Sir Michael Sadler, who happened to be vice Chancellor at the Leeds school. Later on, Moore won a scholarship to attend the Royal College of Art in London. Hepworth had attended this school a year before.

In 1924, Moore won another scholarship, allowing him to stay in northern Italy for six months. He spent his time there studying the works of Michaelangelo. Upon his return to London, Moore spent seven years teaching at the RCA. Luckily, he only had to teach two days a week, giving him plenty of time to spend on his own art pieces.

Moore did many things in his life, including a marriage to Irina Radetsky, having a daughter named Mary, after his dead mother, and doing countless pieces of art for various commissioners around the world. Towards his death he, with the help of his daughter, set up the Henry Moore Trust in 1972. He had hoped that this could protect his legacy from Death Duties. Soon after, the Henry Moore Foundation was formed, and much of his artwork could be viewed in exhibitions hosted by the Foundation. He died a happy man.

Unfortunately, on December 15th, 2005, one of Moore's artworks were stolen by thieves. The Henry Moore Foundation is willing to pay a very hansom sum for the return of the piece, though it is feared that the sculpture was melted for scrap metal. The 1969/1970 work, known as Reclining Figure LH608 is 3.6m long, 2m high by 2m wide and weighs 2.1 tonnes. If you have any information surrounding the sculpture, please contact the Henry Moore Foundation.
I think there's a typo in 1989 or his birth year. Rather funny though because it makes it seem like he died before he was ever born. xD
So he was born in 1989, and fought in World War I? I wonder where he got a time machine.
did you just post a term paper
Yes, yes I did.