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Manchester ARTICLES

The Life of Artist L.S Lowry

18th April 2008

The renowned artist Laurence Stephen Lowry was born in Stretford, Lancashire on November 1st in 1887. He died in Glossop; Derbyshire aged 88 years old on February 23rd 1976.

It is said that his mother was disappointed to give birth to a boy as she craved to have a daughter.

His father was affectionate towards him, but Lowry craved approval from his mother all his life.

His mother used illness as a means to gain attention and obedience from her husband and dominance of her son’s life.

Academically Laurence did not live up to his highly intelligent parents expectations and had very few friends during his school life.

From the year 1915 to 1920, Lowry enrolled in part-time classes at Salford School of Art. He gained interest in industrial landscapes and started to establish his unique style of painting.

After his father’s death in 1932, it was Lowry who was left to look after his ailing mother who was now bedridden and suffering with neurosis and depression.

After seven years of caring for his mother she died in October of 1939, which led to the onset of depression and the neglect of his upkeep.

One of L.S Lowry greatest regrets is that his mother did not witness his success. It was not until a year after her death that he started gaining the respect and acknowledgement for his work that he’d craved for when his mother was a live.

During World War II he became a volunteer firewatcher in Manchester and was also invited to become a war artist.

In 1953 he was appointed the Official Artist for the Queen Elizabeth II coronation.

At the start of 1950s Lowry would often visit the Seaburn Hotel at Seaburn in County Durham and painted scenes of the beach, nearby ports and coalmines.

If he had no sketchbook he would sketch on serviettes, envelopes and any other scrap of paper available to him. These pieces are now worth thousands of pounds and one is on display at the Sunderland Marriott Hotel (Formerly the Seaburn Hotel).

SOURCE:
Wikipedia