Plate XXVI from Elephant Skull, 1970

Henry Moore's works reflected his ideas that sculptures were not only shapes, but sculptures brought out the poetry and music that existed in the artist's mind. He used abstract forms to draw analogies (as a poet would) between the human body and items in nature. The majority of his works were reclining figures and motifs of mother and child that reinforced the idea that humanity can rebound. The evolution of his artistic style is quite evident.

He was influenced by Picasso, Giacometti, Arp, and Brancusi. Non-Western art shaped his early works that focused on frontal character. Also, Moore's methods of sculpting changed. His early works were formed by modeling (using clay or plaster) and casting in bronze.

European Modernism changed his approach to the direct carving of wood and stone. Henry Moore had his most productive and experimental decade in the 1930s. His works began to show a psychological dimension due to the influences of Constructivism and Surrealism. This led to the sculpting of three dimensional biomorphic forms followed by the introduction of 'holes' into his sculptures. The object appeared to grow out of an absent center. He often used objects in nature such as rocks, seashells and bones for ideas. His combined use of nature and the human body presented humanity as a natural force that changes. (Artist website)