‘Archetypal Forms’ in Modern Sculpture. The Image of Reclining Figure: From Maillol to Moore, and so On

Abstract

On the basis of selected examples from the history of the sculpture of the first half and middle of the 20th century, a range of issues related to the concepts of “symbolic form”, “ideal” and “archetype” is analyzed. In the center of consideration is the image of the reclining figure in the works of Aristide Maillol and Henry Moore. Accepting the general statement that such sculptures embody the harmony of statics and dynamics, the author is keener to explore the historical patterns of the selection of a symbolic form in the category of a monument. The significance of the reclining figure is proved by separate historical examples related, in particular, to the work of Michelangelo, with classicism and its derivatives, the concept of the ideal form and the theory of architectonics. The theme of the ambiguity of the classical ideal, its fate in the 20th century, and its dependence on political / ideological ideas is also emphasized. In the sculptural concept of Maillol, the qualities of picturesque, corporeality, and monumentality stand out. In the description of Moore’s creativity, the reclining figure — “archetypal form” (term of Herbert Read) — is considered from the standpoint of identifying qualities in it that allowed the sculptor to realize it in a wide range of interpretations of form and content. Moore’s creativity issues include the relationship between sculpture and space, the interpretation of the statue’s silhouette, the revealing of the “landscape” and “pictorial” qualities in it, as well as the extensive theme of addressing classical heritage. The monumental characteristics of Moore’s reclining figures are analyzed; examples of their interpretation (including the artist himself) and critics are considered. The idea of a symbolic figure in the balance of a figurative and abstract form is adopted as an alternative to the monumental traditional, with emphasis on individual qualities.