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拍品专文
Lowry's line drawings of the 1920s, composed with a coolly mathematical precision, are of great significance. It is in these studies that the artist began the process of structuring his compositions with the architectural majesty that would lead directly to the great industrial landscapes of the forties and fifties. Taking simple subjects, scenes and incidents, he began to explore the aesthetic construction of his subjects. In these drawings one can also observe the skill with which the artist began to solve the complex problem of relating figures in the mass, both to each other, and to their setting. The mood of the line drawings is essentially classical, and during this period he drew with a clinical purity reminiscent of Italian masters such as Lorenzetti, Piero della Francesca, and Uccello.
The present highly finished drawing is an exceptional example of these early works on paper by Lowry. The sheet is large and the composition is incredibly dense. In the 1920s Lowry frequently drew in Salford, however, like many of Lowry's works, this drawing is not a depiction of a particular place, but is based on recollections. Lowry combines observation and imaginative power to produce an image which captures a deeply felt experience of place. Lowry believed that 'an industrial set without people is an empty shell. A street is not a street without people... it is as dead as mutton'. The composition of Street Stalls teems with life, conveying the hustle and bustle of a busy city on market day.
Within the composition Lowry builds up a vocabulary of images - which he would use time and again, no matter in what style he was working: the buildings with their spires and cupolas, the smoking stacks and the lamp-posts all emerge and are carefully stored away for future reference. Many of the artist's favourite characters can also be found within the scene: the schoolgirls with their hair in long plaits; the old men hobbling on their walking sticks; the errand boys rushing across the foreground; and the solitary figure, perhaps representing the artist himself, who that stands and observes the people all around him.
The present highly finished drawing is an exceptional example of these early works on paper by Lowry. The sheet is large and the composition is incredibly dense. In the 1920s Lowry frequently drew in Salford, however, like many of Lowry's works, this drawing is not a depiction of a particular place, but is based on recollections. Lowry combines observation and imaginative power to produce an image which captures a deeply felt experience of place. Lowry believed that 'an industrial set without people is an empty shell. A street is not a street without people... it is as dead as mutton'. The composition of Street Stalls teems with life, conveying the hustle and bustle of a busy city on market day.
Within the composition Lowry builds up a vocabulary of images - which he would use time and again, no matter in what style he was working: the buildings with their spires and cupolas, the smoking stacks and the lamp-posts all emerge and are carefully stored away for future reference. Many of the artist's favourite characters can also be found within the scene: the schoolgirls with their hair in long plaits; the old men hobbling on their walking sticks; the errand boys rushing across the foreground; and the solitary figure, perhaps representing the artist himself, who that stands and observes the people all around him.