Philip Moore The Sculptor

Henry Moore's reputation as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century is unassailable. But his words, both written and spoken, are often as thought-provoking, as moving, and as profound as his works. Few sculptors have spoken as eloquently as Moore has about their art; none with the same modesty, candour, and charm. What Moore has to say about his own sculptures, the work of other artists, his full and active life, and the craft of sculpture in general will prove to be of deep and enduring interest to all sculptors, artists, and those interested in modern art.

The collections of the Advocates Library, with the exception of its legal books and manuscripts, were given by the Advocates to the National Library of Scotland in 1925.

Philip Rawson, a distinguished academic and author, practiced as a sculptor all of his life. Sculpture, his final book, completes the trilogy begun with his classic works, Drawing and Ceramics. As in those earlier volumes, Rawson provides a clear, factual description of the underlying principles and structural techniques of the art. Although Rawson discusses sculptures from many places and periods—including Africa, Asia, Greece, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, and twentieth-century Europe and America—Sculpture is not a history as such. Rather, it is an original analysis of sculpture as a fundamental and integral form of human "language" capable of conveying a variety of different insights, offering a wealth of cultural and symbolic meaning. In the course of this analysis, Sculpture explores the full range of expressive techniques available to the sculptor today. Rawson's intent is to reveal possible modes of sculptural thought for practitioners and to enable the nonexpert to better understand and appreciate the emotional and intellectual content of any work.

Henry Moore is one of the greatest and best known sculptors of our time. His work, spanning half a century, shows a remarkable creative continuum not only in the development of this themes and the refinement of technical skill, but also in the astounding fertility of his genius.