TOUGH AND
TENDER
Moore once
said that he could 'turn every little scribble, blot or smudge into a Mother
and Child'. This is one of surprisingly few works in which the subject is
combined with another of his recurring themes - the reclining figure.
The mother's body curves protectively around her baby - but is there something defensive about the way in which the mother and child face each other and in the smooth shield that supports and shelters the smaller form?
As well as bringing
to mind the outer shells of crustaceans that were linked in Moore's mind with
the internal/external theme, the child's 'armour' resembles some wartime sketches
that he made of shell and bomb cases. Moore found this conflict between 'tough
and tender' elements productive and admired it in the work of some of his
favourite artists.