Art & Design
SEMI 4: what's intended?
Intent is how artists work their purpose, ideas and intentions. This information can sometimes be found in interviews or museum guides. Try and look into the historical, economical and/or social impacts that the artist may have experienced to see if you can find out more about their intentions.
Remember not all artists have an intention when they create their artwork but art will usually have an affect on the people who view it.
Identifying a purpose and/or reason
Below are lists of descriptive words that will help you think about why something was created and how it might affect a person when they see it or use it.
Art
Purpose - landscape, portrait, sculpture, conceptual, site-specific, installation, performance, video, photography
Reason - to shock, to be funny, a form of personal expression, to be abstract, to provoke, to find the truth, to celebrate, to influence, cultural, religious, to challenge, to enforce, propaganda
Craft
Purpose - functional, practical, decorative, figurative, abstract, man-made
Reason - to wear, to use, to shock, to show wealth, to show importance, to use as part of a ritual/celebration, for protection, a form of currency
Design
Purpose - functional, practical, decorative, figurative, abstract, man-made
Reason - trend setting, educational, religious, storytelling, create atmosphere, improve safety, ergonomical, increase efficiency, representation, to shock, to confuse, to calm, marketing, advertising
The Shelter Drawings by Henry Moore
Copyright © The Henry Moore Foundation, This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation
During the Second World War, Henry Moore was unable to create the large sculptures he was renowned for. Instead, he made a series of drawings of figures huddled together, sheltering from the London bombings.
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Copyright © The Henry Moore Foundation, This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation
Henry Moore was interested in the way the clothes and covers draped over the figures.
Copyright © Lee Miller Archives, England 2007. All rights reserved. This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Lee Miller Archives
Henry Moore in Holborn underground station in London, September 1943, During the filming of Chaos
Henry Moore drew these images from first-hand observation at a time when the London Underground stations were used as shelters from the Blitz during the Second World War. They are known as 'The Shelter Drawings'.
Henry Moore's draped figures
"Quite against what I expected, I found myself strangely excited by the bombed buildings, but still more by the unbelievable scenes and life of the underground shelters... I went into London two or three days a week to do my shelter drawings... I began filling a notebook with drawings - ideas based on London's shelter life. Naturally I could not draw in the shelter itself; I drew from memory on my return home" Henry Moore
Copyright © The Henry Moore Foundation, This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation
Study for Row of Sleepers, 1941, Henry Moore
Henry Moore's Shelter Drawings have clearly influenced the large sculptures shown below and on the next page, even those these sculptures were completed after the Second World War.
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Note how the artist has used his knowledge of cloth falling over the reclining figure below as an influence.
Copyright © Art Gallery of Ontario / The Henry Moore Foundation, This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation
Draped Reclining Woman, 1957-58, Henry Moore
Using a worksheet to analyse and evaluate
Copyright © Art Gallery of Ontario / The Henry Moore Foundation, This image must not be reproduced or altered without prior consent from the Henry Moore Foundation
Draped Reclining Figure, 1952-53, Henry Moore
You can use a worksheet (like the one below) to analyse and evaluate a work of art. Look at this sculpture by Henry Moore, then try to answer the questions below.
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In this picture, I can see...
In the background, there is...
In the middle ground, I can see...
In the foreground, there are...
Overall, I can describe the artwork as...
The lines and shapes are...
The colours are...
I can also see textures and patterns that are...
I think the way the artist has made this artwork was by...
The first part the artist did was...
Then the artist...
Finally, the artist...
The picture makes me feel...
Before I started looking closely at this picture, I thought...
Now I have looked more closely, I think...
File
Download the worksheet to print (PDF file 140kb)
Can't open this file? Visit BBC Webwise for help with Adobe Reader.
Identifying the reason behind an artwork
Henry Moore's reasons for creating sculptures of reclining figures included his own interest in classical sculpture, how materials are represented in Renaissance paintings, humanism, the female form and the power of the mother figure. In one instance when Henry Moore created a Reclining Figure for the UNESCO headquarters he chose not to attribute a story/intention behind the artwork:
"I decided on a reclining figure that seeks to tell no story at all... people should have to ponder about what it means". Henry Moore
In order to completely cover AO2, analysing and evaluating, you should try to find out why an artist created their artwork. We have already looked at "The Shelter Drawings" of Henry Moore, now take a look at the activity below.