Within this essay I will comparing each sculpture to the Henry Moore, I be investigating how each sculptor has reacted to primitivism, the way in which each sculpture shows human form and in particular the female form and the motives and the emotion shown between the mother and child. .
Primitivism rejected complex forms and simplified what was once produced in a decorative complicated manner and reducing it to its most basic fundamental shape, forms were abstracted in ways of reduction and enlargement of key features to emphasize and give a symbolic content. Primitivism relates to each one of these pieces and all have reacted differently in the way they represent the human form. From this intervention followed many other movements and techniques one of the most important of these was cubism.
The figure of the mother and child are engulfed by the large eye-like shape. This sculpture I believe is looking more at the Christian religious aspect of the mother and child theme. In my opinion the circling shape could be showing a greater presence of God and within that the creation of Mary and Jesus the main icons of the Christian faith, this can be certified as it is situated outside the cathedral grounds. There is a use of negative space not seen on all other sculpture possibly symbolically enabling light and life to move freely through the sculpture, Henry Moore also used negative space in his works in particular his later more abstracted pieces. .
This sculpture is the most abstract of the group from which I am comparing, the mother and child figure are the centre of a bordering oval around them. The other mother and child sculptures are all seated poised figures. There is not detail given to the facial features which appear organically curved and simplified Moore explained that "Rounded forms convey an idea of fruitfulness, maturity, probably because the earth, women's breasts and most fruits are rounded.