The Mythic Method: Classicism in British Art 1920-1950

0023584 The Mythic Method: Classicism in British Art 1920-1950 Pallant House Gallery Chichester, UK

Catalogue for an exhibition held at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, of works by British artists in the second quarter of the 20th century inspired by or looking back at classical antiquity. Henry Moore's early works fuse modern abstraction with antique influence (p.34), but for much of the 1920s and 30s he conciously avoided classicist influences (p.21); it wasn't until the 1940s that Moore returned to allowing classical influences in his work, first with the draped reclining figures depicted in the Shelter Drawings. Later, Moore's works for Edward Sackville-West's The Rescue and Goethe's Prometheus specifically treat stories from classical literature.