Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305802 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 108 pages

Synopsis
Few artists are as intimately involved with place as L S Lowry, possibly the most popular British artist of the last century. His industrial landscapes and townscapes are almost exclusively centred on the region around the cities of Salford and Manchester. Judith Sandling and Mike Leber, who together have curated and managed Salford City's major collection of Lowry's work for many years, have pooled their expertise to create a fascinating record of the ways in which numerous paintings by the artist relate directly to specific locations within the industrial north-west. Having undertaken hours of patient investigation in archives and galleries, Judith Sandling has compiled a revealing and erudite sequence of essays linking a specific location to each work, together with related drawings and photographs dating from Lowry's time. Mike Leber has provided a general introduction to the book, describing Lowry's general relationship with areas of the city - not only as an artist, but as a working rent-collector, trudging the streets for almost half a century.

Photographer Len Grant has visited each location and has photographed its current appearance, revealing both the sites that remain redolent of Lowry's painting, and those that have changed beyond recognition. For all those who enjoy the classic Lowry townscapes, this lively gift book will be both revealing and entertaining.

Customer Reviews

Lowry pictures,sketches and photos of his city
Lowry pictures,sketches and photos of his city.
This realy nice book matches pre sketches with photos and the finished paintings and explores his facination withe the scenes around Manchester
108 pages,larger than A4, crammed with pics and stories.

Excellent presentation of Lowry's paintings
Lowry's City was published in 2000 to co-incide with the opening of the new arts centre which bears the name of Salford's, and Manchester's most celebrated artist.

Some of Lowry's most famous paintings are here, presented side by side with his drawings of the same subject. Archive photos and contemporary ones, captured by Len Grant, provide further comparisons.

The locations are well documented with interesting background information about each place, L S Lowry's connections with it, and how the painting reveals the artist's mental state .

Lowry painted local landmarks, many of which have long since disappeared, such as St Augustine's Church, St Michael's Church, St John's Chruch and Oldfield Road Dwellings.

Peel Park, Swinton, Crime Lake, Daisy Nook, Stockport railway viaduct, Piccadilly Gardens, Mottram in Longdendale are some of the places featured which we can still recognise today. The book is in large format, and some of the reproductions show magnified sections of the paintings, revealing the artist's characteristic brushwork.

The authors have included maps showing the modern district and area boundaries. It would have been nice to include old street maps, as the new boundaries aren't part of Lowry's world.

This book is an excellent presentation of Manchester's - and Salford's - most famous artist and I highly recommend it.

Lowry's City
Judith Standing has produced a gem of a book for lovers of Lowry and especially for those interested in the places that caught the painter's notice thoughout the city which gave him such inspiration.