“A landscape in itself.” That’s how some describe the Hill Arches Sculpture. Conceived in 1973 by Henry Moore, this striking bronze sculpture stands as a testament to Moore’s artistic vision.
The Hill Arches Sculpture is made of four separate parts. Three of these parts are stirrup-shaped. The fourth is a large sphere. These components interlock. They articulate the space around them.
As you walk around the Hill Arches Sculpture, notice how the ribbon-like bands of bronze create a dynamic composition. The forms are interlocked but not stuck. This gives a sense of rhythmic movement. Moore wanted viewers to move around the work. He liked the mystery this created. As you circle the sculpture, one form gets in the way of another. This creates new and surprising views.
The roots of the Hill Arches Sculpture can be found in Moore’s explorations of the 1930s. A wood carving of 1934 called Two Forms served as inspiration. Two Forms has been described as an abstracted mother and child. The larger form leans protectively over the smaller one. In Hill Arches, the mother form has been enlarged. The abstraction makes the allusion to the theme less evident.
Joined by a second larger arch form, the work may be akin to a family group. Moore had a tendency to humanize everything. It’s tempting to see these interwoven forms as male and female. The interplay of solid and void represents shelter and protection. These are inventive reinterpretations of familial themes that Moore treated earlier in his career.
Moore’s title suggests the forms should be read as natural. With its four pieces precisely set out in space, the work has been described as a landscape. The elegant pair of arched forms evokes the shape of a hillside. The Yorkshire landscape of Moore’s youth inspired these forms. Fields near his studio may also have been an inspiration. One field contained an artificial mound. It was formed by ballast from a gravel excavation. Moore explored ideas for a suitable sculpture for this mound.
Hill Arches found its most prominent siting opposite the Karlskirche in Vienna. In 1971, Moore gifted the city a sculpture. Danish architect Sven-Ingvar Andersson was redesigning the square in front of the church. Together, he and Moore planned to locate the work off-center in an elliptical pool. The curving forms of the bronze are reflected in the water. They echo those of the ornate church and its domes behind. “A Baroque sculpture for a Baroque church,” Moore commented. Other casts can be found in The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, and in Illinois, USA.
The Hill Arches Sculpture embodies Moore’s exploration of form and space. It invites us to contemplate the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Take a moment to appreciate the artistry. Appreciate the vision that brought this monumental work to life.