By 1950 Henry Moore was generally recognised as the leading 'avant garde' artist in Britain. In 1955-56 he worked upon a series of upright bronze sculptures reminiscent of totem poles and the statues of Brancusi. Three of these 'Upright Motifs' were sometimes displayed together to evoke a Crucifixion group. Here, the rounded humanoid forms set against vertical fluting suggest a figure bound to a classical column, such as St. Sebastian or Christ at the Flagellation.