LS Lowry was born 1St November 1887, He had his first job in 1904
where he "drifted into" office work as a clerk with a Manchester
accountant. Employment allowed him to take private tuition in art,
He also went to the Manchester College of Art at All Saints for
evenings from 1905, he is quoted "I saw people there, I liked the
life. It was good to meet people there" the books write of Lowry
as "having a temperament" and loving a lonely life, unsociable, he
did not fit in, he moved in art circles, he was not good at still
life, teachers found him impossible. The influence of his teachers
come through in paintings "Landscape" 1912 and "Country lane"
1914.
In Pendlebury Lowry started to notice industry, the "thump thump
thump" of steam hammers, the mills with the incessant "clackerty
clack" of the shuttle on the loom, he noticed the rows of cottages
leading to the big red mill at Acme. He had become a rent
collector for the Pall Mall Property Company. He worked as a rent
collector until he retired in 1952.
|
He joined Salford School of Art for evening classes in 1915, this
is where he studied his work and the match stick figures
developed.
In 1928 he stopped attending art school. His father died in 1932
leaving debts, his mother was bed ridden and Lowry had to care for
her.
 |
He was a very withdrawn person. Lowry had some exhibitions but no
real success as an artist. In fact Lowry's greatest regret was
that his mother died in 1939 just as he became recognized by the
art world. This was the age of smog, deep heavy smoke and fog that
would linger for weeks. Everything would be grey. There were many
industrial injuries. The second world war broke out. This did not
seem to affect Lowry much. He did some duties as a fire watcher in
Manchester. He got an invite to become a war artist.
Laurence Stephen Lowry did not just paint northern scenes. He
visited the south coast looking for ships and ferries to paint.
Lowry retired from the Pall Mall Property Company in 1952 and he
continued to travel draw and paint. Lowry wanted to be taken
seriously about his art.
During his life Lowry had painted and drawn some 2000-3000 pieces.
Harold Wilson had offered him a knighthood and had used "The Pond"
as his official Christmas card in 1964.
|
