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Henry Moore Artwork Catalogue

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Date1981
Artwork TypeDrawing
Catalogue NumberHMF 81(363) verso
Date Order NumberAG 81.337
Papercream heavyweight wove
Dimensionspaper: 81 x 199 mm
Inscriptionpencil Shut-eye drawings/As students, a group/of us used to play a game/called Shut-eye Golf/Describe it/Some years later/remembering this –/I tried (crossed out) amused/myself on occasions/by drawing without/looking at (what I crossed out) the lines I (made on the crossed out) was/making on the paper. (– the point of this/was that crossed out) & this led to (my crossed out) drawing/an idea with my eyes/closed – a simple subject/(illegible word crossed out) say – a woman/reading – or a mother/holding a child – a man smoking in . . . [with one's] eyes (inscription continued on HMF 81(362) verso)
OwnershipThe Henry Moore Foundation: acquired 1987
More Information

Moore made a first draft of his explanation of what he called his 'shut-eye' technique on the versos of HMF 81(363) and HMF 81(362) - originally one piece of lithographic proof.


'As students, a group of us used to play a game called Shut-eye golf. Some years later remebering this I amused myself on occasions by drawing without looking at the lines I was making on the paper and this led to drawing an idea with my eyes closed - a simple subject - say a woman reading or a mother holding a child - a man smoking - with one's eyes closed only the essentials of a subject stand out and the details disappear and although the rationalistic proportions go wrong - yet as in a good caricature, the peculiar character is emphasised.'

ExhibitionsPublished References