Reclining Figure

This monumental female figure represents the largest sculpture that Henry Moore made in the unconventional medium of concrete. Imitating the mottled colors of natural stone, Moore achieved a polychrome surface by adding red, brown, and black pigments to wet concrete without stirring the mixture uniformly. Once dried, Moore carved into the concrete. The pose of this figure, influenced by ancient American sculpture, parallels an interest in art of this culture by Moore and the Surrealists who exhibited together during the 1930s.