L. S. Lowry

Lawrence Stephen Lowry ( born November 1, 1887 in Manchester, † February 23, 1976 in Mottram, Longdendale ), mainly as LS Lowry, was an English artist, who was born at Old Trafford district of Manchester. Most of his images is the city of Salford, in which the artist has over 30 years lived and worked.

Lowry is famous for his paintings depicting scenes from the life in the industrial districts of Northern England in the early 20th century. He had to paint a very distinct style and is known for the naive representation of urban landscapes, with a variety of small figures ( matchstick men = match males ) are mainly decorated in gray tones and populated. He also painted mysterious unpopulated landscapes, portraits thoughts sunken people and the ' puppet ' Works, which he had kept secret and were discovered only after his death.

In the course of his long life Lowry created more than 1000 paintings and 800 drawings. The Lowry Centre in Salford houses the largest collection of his paintings. The Tate Gallery in London owns 23 of his works.

Lowry's painting Going to the match was auctioned at Sotheby's in 1999 for £ 1,926,500, then a record price for a work of modern art. In 2007, the painting Good Friday, Daisy Nook at Christie's a new record price of 3.8 million pounds.

Lowry declined over the years from five times the awarding of honorary titles by the British royal family.

Works (selection)

The best known of his works are:

• Coming from the Mill (1917 )
• An Accident (1926 )
• A Street Scene (1928 )
• The Fever Van (1935 )
• Head of a Man ​​( 1938)
• Good Friday, Daisy Nook (1946 )
• Going to the Match ( 1953)
• A Young Man ( 1955)
• The Sea (1963 )

Reception

• Lowry inspired Francis Rossi to the song "Pictures of Matchstick Men ", which published his band Status Quo in 1968 as a single.
• The British duo Brian & Michael Lowry took in honor of the song Talk Men Match and Match Talk Cats and Dogs. The title finished in April 1978 three weeks number one on the British charts. In the song emphasizes that Lowry had an eye for the indigent circumstances of his home region and did not let bend. "Now hang Lowry alongside the greatest artists on the wall, and even the Mona Lisa bows ," it says in the song.