Description
Good Friday Crucifixions: Holy week in Abstract
Reflection accompanying image “Henry Moore upright motives monochrome”
The first time that I saw this group of Henry Moore's 'Upright Motives' the picture of the three Good Friday crucifixions came instantly to mind. The very fact that this is abstract art challenges our minds to make sense, find sense and feel that there is sense here. Yet the utter otherness and unlikeness of the sculptures seems to defy cheap and simple meaning-making.
What is such a striking enigma visually manages to exert a visceral hold on our attention. As Moore himself said,“there are universal shapes to which everyone is subconsciously conditioned and to which they can respond if their conscious control does not shut them off.”
I would argue that the same is true of faith-shapes too, such as those sculpted in the verbal teachings of Jesus and personified visually as he journeys through what we now call Holy Week.
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