We visited The Lowry again last weekend. This is The Lowry Footbridge, that crosses the Manchester Ship Canal. You can see The Lowry Gallery(not very well), just on the left of the photograph. My son is there too in the distance, walking across the bridge ahead of me, patiently waiting while I take even more photographs!
Although I've visited before, and L S Lowry isn't the first artist that comes to mind when I think of my favourites, I am somehow drawn to his story and his paintings more than ever. I like that he painted ordinary people, the streets of Salford and also many landmarks that I love from the counties of Lancashire and Cumbria.
When I visit the gallery however, what I love most of all is watching and listening to the films available there of Lowry speaking about his work. He had such a down to earth manner - no frills; as he said "I'm a simple man and I use simple materials."
When I watch the full twenty minute film on show at the gallery, I love the fact that he says he doesn't know why he paints as he does, he just has to.
Listening to him speak about his later paintings of people who seem to be vagrants, he states that he always wondered about the life they had had, and how they got to the present day. Something that also facinates me. Explaining this period of his painting he calls it the greatest body of his work and about the people themselves he states, "I don't need the background story, just give me the man, or the woman." I am struck by how he looks at people's lives in a similar way to the way I do, "There but for the grace of God go I", he states. Lowry pointed out that he didn't regard himself as a philanthropist, he just painted what he saw, he just "had to". Lowry stated that he was drawn to the sorrow which again I can really understand, like me he also loved derelict buildings and the sea.
Many of his paintings are self portraits, where he paints himself as a tower on the very top of a hill, or a lighthouse surrounded by sea. In his paintings of crowd scenes, the people appear to move together but they too are often isolated and alone.
I wasn't aware until I found this video that there was a musical about Lowry. This song is the opening number from the musical by Micheal Coleman, and based on the painting "Man lying on a wall."
When I visit the gallery however, what I love most of all is watching and listening to the films available there of Lowry speaking about his work. He had such a down to earth manner - no frills; as he said "I'm a simple man and I use simple materials."
When I watch the full twenty minute film on show at the gallery, I love the fact that he says he doesn't know why he paints as he does, he just has to.
Listening to him speak about his later paintings of people who seem to be vagrants, he states that he always wondered about the life they had had, and how they got to the present day. Something that also facinates me. Explaining this period of his painting he calls it the greatest body of his work and about the people themselves he states, "I don't need the background story, just give me the man, or the woman." I am struck by how he looks at people's lives in a similar way to the way I do, "There but for the grace of God go I", he states. Lowry pointed out that he didn't regard himself as a philanthropist, he just painted what he saw, he just "had to". Lowry stated that he was drawn to the sorrow which again I can really understand, like me he also loved derelict buildings and the sea.
Many of his paintings are self portraits, where he paints himself as a tower on the very top of a hill, or a lighthouse surrounded by sea. In his paintings of crowd scenes, the people appear to move together but they too are often isolated and alone.
I wasn't aware until I found this video that there was a musical about Lowry. This song is the opening number from the musical by Micheal Coleman, and based on the painting "Man lying on a wall."
This is a slighly better photograph of the side of The Lowry building and one of the interior. There is also a theatre inside which I have yet to visit. I love the bright colours they have used inside, fabulous!
I found this website all about Lowry's life and work. It looks a great resource for teachers and students alike. I also found this video about the work of David Miles, who was commissioned in 2007, by The Lowry arts centre to create an installation based on the work of L S Lowry. Interestingly for me, like Lowry, David Miles says that all of the work he makes has "a meloncholy air".
Another work inspired by Lowry's paintings, was this video for the song "The Masterplan" by Oasis. It was made by Darragh O'Connell . Being a big Oasis fan I thought I'd listen whilst typing today, the lyrics seem to me to suit Lowry's work somehow. My favourite parts of the video are the beginning and end, where the individuals come out of and return to, their little terraced houses.
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