Ronald Moody
Reclining Torso
1900-1984
Reclining Torso
1961
Concrete and fibreglass with copper resin
12 x 47 x 25 cm
This sculpture belongs to Moody’s “concrete period”, which lasted roughly twelve years and included works such as The Mother (1958-1959), Man (1958/3), The Youth (1958), and Little Man (1962) all in the collection of Leicester, sometimes collectively referred to as ‘The Concrete Family’.
Moody experimented with contrasting textures, combining concrete and fibreglass. The figure has a nodular or knobbled surface, giving the sculpture a tactile and organic quality. The rough base surface enhances the texture of the figure, emphasising materiality and weight. The texture and composition recall Moody’s earlier wooden carving Le Repos (1938), suggesting continuity between his wood carving practice and later experiments in concrete. Around this time Moody worked at Fleming Close Studios in London, where he had a purpose-built studio and worked alongside artists such as sculptor Elisabeth Frink.
