246). Others see the uprights as Moore's reflection of World War I, or bombs cut in half lengthways to show their internal workings, giving a long, smooth and rounded shape at the back and a complex series of mechanical forms at the front. In this case, he is anthropomorphizing the bombs by adding facial parts. Regardless, these sculptures are highly abstract and ambivalent, impacting people in different ways (Mitchinson 1998) It is most likely more the case that Moore's uprights are not dark and pessimistic recreations of bombs. When he first saw the prehistoric stone monoliths at Stonehenge in the 1930s, he was elated and began to try different types of sculptures: "I started by balancing different forms one above the other -- with results rather like the Northwest totem poles (Mitchinison 1998).

By ambiguously mingling the human form and nature, Moore said he was able to show that man is part of the natural world and not just someone who observes. In Picasso's works, Moore found more ways to reinvent the human figure than he had through anyone else's works. He said in 1937, "There are universal shapes to which everybody is subconsciously conditioned and to which they can respond if their conscious control does not cut them off" (Kosinski 2001, p. 44). Although Moore did not prescribe entirely to Surrealism, often his human forms suggest "the manipulations of Dali" (Bazin 1968, p. 86).

Last year, there was a major event at the Kansas City Sculpture Park: It was necessary to...

9, because the protective wax needed to be reapplied. It was a major job to be able to lift the 12-foot and 1200 pound figure and bring it inside for repair. Using organic solvents, the Kansas City museum staff removed the wax, thoroughly cleaned the bronze sculpture and once again put on the new coating. The copper tone has oxidized into the dark green, but there were some smaller areas that had begun to turn teal like a tarnished penny. The restorers were able to return it to its natural colors (Nelson Atkins Museum of Art / Kansas City Blog).
For a while, the spot where the sculpture was located sat empty and looked very different without its massive abstract form. Nature, the visitors to the park and perhaps even Moore's ghostly spirit were all pleased that the sculpture would be returned to its rightful sport.