Artist Profile: L.S. Lowry

Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist from Stretford. His artwork mainly features places like Pendlebury, Lancashire, and Salford. These places were personal to Lowry as they’re where he worked and lived for more than 4 decades!

Younger Life:

Throughout his youth, Laurence enjoyed art. He even used part of his income to pay for private painting lessons with the artists William Fitz and Reginald Barber!

In 1905, Lowry began attending evening art classes at Manchester Municipal College of Art.

Career:

His pieces of art featuring the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century are his most known works. He created a unique painting style and became popular through his urban landscapes.

Lowry was later recognised for his intriguing desolate landscapes, and the unpublished "marionette" pieces, which were only discovered after his passing.

After painting and showcasing his work in and around Manchester and Salford, L. S. Lowry was offered his first solo art exhibition in London (1939) and this resulted in national fame. In 2014, Laurence’s first solo art exhibition based outside the UK took place in Nanjing, China to remember the Mancunian artist. After our research, we read that Laurence Lowry was fascinated by the beach, especially the sea, and painted stunning works of the sea, showing only the sea and the sky. This era took place in the early 1940s.

He famously holds the record for the amount of rejected British honours. These five awards also include a knighthood which was offered to him in 1968. Laurence Stephen Lowry passed away on 23rd February 1976, aged 88 in Woods Hospital, Glossop. His sad passing occurred several months before a reflective exhibition which was about to open at the Royal Academy, London.

A variety of his spectacular work is on display in The Lowry, an art gallery, theatre, and well-loved destination along Salford Quays. The Lowry building is named after Laurence who spent much of his life in the Salford area. His work is still strongly associated with the city to this day.

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