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Lot Essay
From an early age Lowry was fascinated by the sea. In his youth, holidays were spent at Lytham St Anne's on the Fylde coast at Easter, and at Rhyl, on the north west coast, during the Summer. He commented, 'It's the Battle of Life - the turbulence of the sea - and life's pretty turbulent, isn't it? I am very fond of the sea, of course, I have been fond of the sea all my life: how wonderful it is, yet how terrible it is' (quoted in J. Spalding, exhibition catalogue, Lowry, Middlesbrough, Cleveland Art Gallery, 1987, p. 61).
Lowry drew seascapes as early as 1902 and continued to explore this theme throughout his career. The resulting pictures vary greatly: from brightly coloured delicate sailing boats bobbing on calm waters,to massive industrial ships and tankers with broad bows, as well as complete empty expanses of sea and sky and beaches teaming with the residents of industrial towns at the seaside for their holiday.
The present work shows the beach at Deal in Kent which lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. The north end of the town appears with The Royal Hotel on the far left and a cluster of houses and neatly spaced boats pulled up on the shingle. Small figures line the shore. As with many of Lowry's works, at first glance the crowds seem impersonal but on closer acquaintance the opposite is true. The painting is full of affection. Executed soon after the Second World War, it seems to depict a moment of leisure and reveals a playful side of Lowry's art, perhaps the reliving of some of his happy childhood excursions to the beach.
Lowry drew seascapes as early as 1902 and continued to explore this theme throughout his career. The resulting pictures vary greatly: from brightly coloured delicate sailing boats bobbing on calm waters,to massive industrial ships and tankers with broad bows, as well as complete empty expanses of sea and sky and beaches teaming with the residents of industrial towns at the seaside for their holiday.
The present work shows the beach at Deal in Kent which lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. The north end of the town appears with The Royal Hotel on the far left and a cluster of houses and neatly spaced boats pulled up on the shingle. Small figures line the shore. As with many of Lowry's works, at first glance the crowds seem impersonal but on closer acquaintance the opposite is true. The painting is full of affection. Executed soon after the Second World War, it seems to depict a moment of leisure and reveals a playful side of Lowry's art, perhaps the reliving of some of his happy childhood excursions to the beach.