Fjord by Henry Moore drawing of Scottish landscape for W.H. Auden poetry book
By Henry Moore
Located in New York, NY
One of a series of 18 lithographs drawn by the artist for the Auden Poems/Moore Lithographs 1974 book and portfolio. This work is from an edition of 25 printed on vellum aside from the portfolio (edition of 75) and the book. Signed by the artist lower right in pencil; numbered 8/25 lower left in pencil.
Printed in inky black, Fjord features a close-up view of the water as it meets the shore. Yorkshire is famous for its rocky coastline, where fishing villages cling to cliffs, windswept abbeys peak above the skyline, and sand beaches attract families on vacation. Moore’s scene is dark and even sinister – the shore’s narrow inlets reaching into the water like gnarled fingers.
Fjord displays Moore’s fascination with light and dark – what he called a “…bias towards the blackness and mysterious depths.” Moore was inspired by the prints of Rembrandt and the drawings of Seurat, and even drew on his memories of viewing the Altamira cave paintings, recalling how some of the images used the shadow of candlelight on the rough surface of the rock to model light. Shortly before starting work on this series of lithographs, Moore had fallen ill, leaving him aware of his own mortality. His mood pervaded these prints with a sense of danger and foreboding.
Fjord is one of a group of lithographs...
Category
Late 20th Century Ernest-Louis Lessieux Landscape Prints