The Eternal Circle

The Eternal Circle
1970
Glass resin on black wood
27 x 27 cm (backing diagonal 56 cm)

The figure of a man bent backwards in a circle, feet in mouth, The Eternal Circle is the artist’s depiction of “man’s slow self-destruction. He is, in a sense consuming himself”. The arm pinned unnaturally to the figure’s body indicates that the entrapment is man’s own making. The artist later enlarged on this theme in Technological Acrobatics (1972-1973).

This sculpture reflects Moody’s philosophical and existential concerns in the late period of his career. During the 1970s he created works exploring the path of humanity, spiritual unity and cycles of existence and self-awareness.

The Eternal Circle belongs to a group of works including, The Intellectualwhich engage with themes of human duality and cosmic cycles. Moody repeatedly used circular or enclosing motifs such as the encircling snake, symbolic creatures combining human and animal elements.

These symbols reflect his interest in spiritual evolution and the interconnected nature of human life.