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Lot Essay
'Lowry…is a collector stalking human insects with his butterfly net. His life has been a quest for human curiosities' (E. Mullins, exhibition catalogue, L.S. Lowry R.A: Retrospective Exhibition, 1966, p. 6).
In the wake of his commercial success, the late 1940s and early 1950s saw Lowry move away from the industrial scene and 'zoom in' on those individuals that populated his urban landscapes. It can be perhaps, considered the most important shift in his artistic oeuvre. From these dates forward Lowry would begin to examine, with great intimacy, the absurdity of the human condition. Many of the paintings from this period depict small groups of figures, lonely individuals, set against simplistic street backdrops, sparse rooms, or, specifically in the case of the later works, large expanses of white. Occasionally one catches a glimpse of industrial life, but no longer is it the focal point of the composition. Lowry’s job as a rent-collector for the Pall Mall Property Company meant that he spent much of his time wandering Manchester city observing the people around him. He was fascinated by human behaviour and transformed what he saw into fictional caricatures, sometimes humorous, sometimes utterly grotesque, but most often an ingenious unification of both. Some of his most poignant paintings were completed during this period such as The Cripples, 1949 and The Funeral Party, 1953.
In the present work, an archetypical group of Lowry figures is gathered. It is pouring with rain and factory chimneys can be faintly glimpsed beneath a heavy fog. Behind the people at the bus stop, three individuals rush hurriedly past encased in the low cloud and heads bowed against the rain. Almost theatrical in nature, Lowry’s main characters are arranged in a neat row. They appear disconnected, disengaged, exchanging at most a sideways glance. Even those people that appear to share some sort of relationship, such as the couple under the umbrella to the far left, are detached and lack any physical contact. Their faces appear drawn, morose, almost sickly, and their features simplistic, plain caricatures, in true Lowry style.
Lowry commented on the people who feature in his figure groups, “All those people in my pictures, they are all alone, you know. They have all got their private sorrows, their own absorptions. But they can’t contact one another. We are all of us alone – cut off. All my people are lonely. Crowds are the most lonely thing of all. Everyone is a stranger to everyone else. You have only got to look at them to see that” (see J. Spalding, Lowry, London, 1987, p. 51).
A previous owner of the present work was Frederick Forsyth, C.B.E. (b. 1938), English author, political commentator and former journalist. After working for Reuters for four years, he joined the BBC in 1965, to become Assistant Diplomatic Correspondent in 1967, at the age of 28. He left journalism for full time writing in 1971, and is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, and The Odessa File. He amassed a collection of works by Lowry, of which ten (including the present work) were sold in these Rooms on 8 June 2001.
In the wake of his commercial success, the late 1940s and early 1950s saw Lowry move away from the industrial scene and 'zoom in' on those individuals that populated his urban landscapes. It can be perhaps, considered the most important shift in his artistic oeuvre. From these dates forward Lowry would begin to examine, with great intimacy, the absurdity of the human condition. Many of the paintings from this period depict small groups of figures, lonely individuals, set against simplistic street backdrops, sparse rooms, or, specifically in the case of the later works, large expanses of white. Occasionally one catches a glimpse of industrial life, but no longer is it the focal point of the composition. Lowry’s job as a rent-collector for the Pall Mall Property Company meant that he spent much of his time wandering Manchester city observing the people around him. He was fascinated by human behaviour and transformed what he saw into fictional caricatures, sometimes humorous, sometimes utterly grotesque, but most often an ingenious unification of both. Some of his most poignant paintings were completed during this period such as The Cripples, 1949 and The Funeral Party, 1953.
In the present work, an archetypical group of Lowry figures is gathered. It is pouring with rain and factory chimneys can be faintly glimpsed beneath a heavy fog. Behind the people at the bus stop, three individuals rush hurriedly past encased in the low cloud and heads bowed against the rain. Almost theatrical in nature, Lowry’s main characters are arranged in a neat row. They appear disconnected, disengaged, exchanging at most a sideways glance. Even those people that appear to share some sort of relationship, such as the couple under the umbrella to the far left, are detached and lack any physical contact. Their faces appear drawn, morose, almost sickly, and their features simplistic, plain caricatures, in true Lowry style.
Lowry commented on the people who feature in his figure groups, “All those people in my pictures, they are all alone, you know. They have all got their private sorrows, their own absorptions. But they can’t contact one another. We are all of us alone – cut off. All my people are lonely. Crowds are the most lonely thing of all. Everyone is a stranger to everyone else. You have only got to look at them to see that” (see J. Spalding, Lowry, London, 1987, p. 51).
A previous owner of the present work was Frederick Forsyth, C.B.E. (b. 1938), English author, political commentator and former journalist. After working for Reuters for four years, he joined the BBC in 1965, to become Assistant Diplomatic Correspondent in 1967, at the age of 28. He left journalism for full time writing in 1971, and is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, and The Odessa File. He amassed a collection of works by Lowry, of which ten (including the present work) were sold in these Rooms on 8 June 2001.