Sculpture & The Human Form: The Role of Henry Moore’s Recumbent Figure in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Words by Amelia Erswell
The cold stone lightly kisses your skin as you caress the curves of the sculpture in front of you. This causes a discordant feeling to strike in the centre of your chest. A sense of constriction ensues, followed by suspension of reality. Then nothing.
You’re at complete peace, finally able to contemplate and reflect.
Free.
This is both ‘inhibition’ in its purest form, and what Henry Moore’s work means to me.
When contemplating what art means on a personal level, the concept of creativity should awaken every fibre of a vision. It should be enlivening. Ardent. All-consuming. This is my philosophy, especially when it comes to the NRG’s upcoming exhibition: INhibition.
In the spirit of this, I wanted to explore the intersection of two aspects of art which have shaped my own appreciation: visual culture and the work of Henry Moore. Naturally, this led me to conduct an analysis of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
From Ferris Buller’s Day Off, 1986
While criticism often touches on the presence in the film of George Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the feature of Moore’s sculpture is wholly overlooked and neglected.
Still from the film, showing the presence of Moore’s sculpture.
Still from the film, showing the presence of Moore’s sculpture.
Overwhelmingly dominated by Henry Moore’s distinct figurine, the above shot highlights the power of sculpture and the human form. As the scene unfolds, the melancholic and dulcet tones of The Smith’s Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want sparks a subtle interplay with the imagery on screen.
The lost adolescents try to enact free-will and wander at liberty around the exhibition. However, they’re perpetually drawn to Moore’s sculpture. The Smith’s Morrisey aptly articulates: ‘for once in my life, let me get what I want, Lord knows, it would be the first time’ – a desire which echoes that of Ferris and his friends. John Hughes (the director) uses these lyrics to further reinforce his cinematic depiction; during the museum episode, predestination supersedes free-will.
As the song tails off, the teenagers begin to naturally gravitate toward Moore’s work. Captivated. This provides an immensely pleasing frame: each teen is offset between one of Pablo Picasso’s paintings. Of this composition, the only jarring aspect is the presence of Moore’s sculpture. It lurks in the bottom right corner of the frame. This reminds the audience of its agency and ability to lure the teens back into its orbit.
Hughes offers a striking juxtaposition; the elegant canvases lining the walls contradict Moore’s statue. This visceral sculpture is used to connect the physical human form - of Ferris and his friends - to the exhibition’s artwork. A tangible and three dimensional figure, this sculpture signifies the importance of identity and emotion as recurring motifs within the plot.
The reclining female figure appeared in Moore’s work throughout his career and was a subject that he became renowned for. Hughes exploits this cultural reference. It allows him to signpost the theme of maternal affection, and its importance to the plot. This sculpture acts as a symbol. It signifies the cause of Ferris and Cameron’s identity crises: lack of maternal affection. As the plot unfolds the dysfunctionality of their family dynamics become apparent, particularly the absence of their mothers. Perhaps Moore’s figure is so captivating as it symbolises what their lives lack. It fills the void that gapes within their chests: a need for love and affection.
To fully understand the importance of Moore’s sculpture we must pay homage to the provenance of the statue. Recumbent figure (1938) was the first ever sculpture that Moore made. Commissioned by architect Serge Chermayeff, this sculpture was constructed for the terrace of his home in the Downs. As the Tate website observes: ‘visually, the figure would have acted as a bridge between the rolling hills and the ultra-modern house’ that Chermayeff had built.
Recumbent Figure, Henry Moore (1938).
The provenance of this piece helps to further underpin its role in Hughes’ artistic vision. Knowing that the sculpture was created to connect rural landscape to modern architecture, it’s purpose in the film becomes obvious. The sculpture performs a similar function in the film; Moore’s sculpture connects the tangible and non-tangible: human form, art and emotion become inextricably interwoven. Recumbent figure allows Hughes to incite inhibition.
Inhibition tends to thrive when we encounter two discordant premises and attempt to rationalise them. Moore’s sculpture acts as a conduit. The teenagers are able to emotionally connect with the exhibition as a result of Moore’s sculpture; it draws them into the central room of the gallery, the heart of the exhibition, and allows them to reflect on what it means to them.
While Prometheus shaped man from mud and Athena brought these clay figures to life, Moore possessed both of these skills; he was able to breathe life into inanimate sculptures and incite emotion – a pure talent if you ask me.
