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LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY, R.A. | A Mill Scene, Wigan
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 GBP
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Description
- Laurence Stephen Lowry
- A Mill Scene, Wigan
- signed and dated 1964
- oil on board
- 14 by 20cm.; 5½ by 8in.
Provenance
Commissioned by Mr. A.E. Hunter, Formby, Lancashire, for his daughter, Mrs Lois Leroy in 1964
Mrs. J. Hunter and thence by descent to the previous owner, 1990
Their sale, Bonhams London, 19th November 2008, lot 61, where acquired by the present owner
Mrs. J. Hunter and thence by descent to the previous owner, 1990
Their sale, Bonhams London, 19th November 2008, lot 61, where acquired by the present owner
Condition
The board undulates but appears stable. There is some very minor rounding to the extreme upper left corner with associated slight smudging to the paint. There is one very minor fleck of loss to the extreme upper edge towards the right corner and one small fleck of loss towards the centre of the left edge in the window. Subject to the above, the work appears in excellent overall condition. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals no obvious signs of retouching. The work is floated and held in a painted wooden slip within a wooden frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
‘My subjects were all around me… in those days there were mills and collieries all around Pendlebury. The people who worked there were passing, morning and night. All my material was on the doorstep.’ (L.S. Lowry, quoted in Allen Andrews, The Life of L.S. Lowry, Jupiter Books, London, 1977, p.44).
As one of Britain’s most popular and beloved artists, L.S. Lowry is typically associated with his depictions of the industrial north. Buzzing scenes full of smoking chimneys with men, women and children on the move brought fame and recognition for the artist from the early 1940s, resulting in several sell-out shows at his London gallery, Alex. Reid & Lefevre. Yet like any great artist Lowry refused to stand still, and continually sought out new inspiration for his work – whether in the form of the eerily empty landscapes of the Yorkshire moors, the stark portraits and figure studies or the seascapes of the North East. So when in the mid-1960s Lowry was challenged by his friend Mr A.E. Hunter that he had lost his ability to recapture the crowd scenes of his earlier work, Lowry readily accepted the test to prove him wrong. The result was the present work, commissioned by Mr Hunter for his daughter, Mrs Lois Leroy in 1964, depicting a mill scene in Wigan, not far from Manchester.
And prove him wrong Lowry certainly did, for the present work captures all the great hallmarks of the artist’s very best industrial scenes, executed on a scale that is strikingly intimate and personal. An avid sketcher, Lowry would take out pencil and paper on his daily rounds as a rent collector, jotting ideas, which were later to be worked up under the stark electric lighting of his attic room studio, and the scale of the present work harks back beautifully to his concept of studying at first hand his subjects and scenes.
A Mill Scene, Wigan is a painting alive with energy and activity. The movement of the figures towards the mill gates seems even more rushed than usual, with figures, arms and legs blurring into each other. Lowry’s characteristic use of red draws the viewer’s eye across and upwards through the composition, to the central spire in the distance, framed beautifully between bellowing chimneys and the tall, imposing factories. The execution of the present work showcases Lowry’s ability to work with the same visual intensity on both a large scale work (as we can see in lot 16) and a smaller, more intimate scale. A Mill Scene, Wigan offers a tightly focused window into Lowry’s memory, depicting a world which already by the mid-1960s was fast disappearing.
This work is sold with a letter dated 9th August 1964 from the Artist to Mr Hunter regarding the commission of this painting.
As one of Britain’s most popular and beloved artists, L.S. Lowry is typically associated with his depictions of the industrial north. Buzzing scenes full of smoking chimneys with men, women and children on the move brought fame and recognition for the artist from the early 1940s, resulting in several sell-out shows at his London gallery, Alex. Reid & Lefevre. Yet like any great artist Lowry refused to stand still, and continually sought out new inspiration for his work – whether in the form of the eerily empty landscapes of the Yorkshire moors, the stark portraits and figure studies or the seascapes of the North East. So when in the mid-1960s Lowry was challenged by his friend Mr A.E. Hunter that he had lost his ability to recapture the crowd scenes of his earlier work, Lowry readily accepted the test to prove him wrong. The result was the present work, commissioned by Mr Hunter for his daughter, Mrs Lois Leroy in 1964, depicting a mill scene in Wigan, not far from Manchester.
And prove him wrong Lowry certainly did, for the present work captures all the great hallmarks of the artist’s very best industrial scenes, executed on a scale that is strikingly intimate and personal. An avid sketcher, Lowry would take out pencil and paper on his daily rounds as a rent collector, jotting ideas, which were later to be worked up under the stark electric lighting of his attic room studio, and the scale of the present work harks back beautifully to his concept of studying at first hand his subjects and scenes.
A Mill Scene, Wigan is a painting alive with energy and activity. The movement of the figures towards the mill gates seems even more rushed than usual, with figures, arms and legs blurring into each other. Lowry’s characteristic use of red draws the viewer’s eye across and upwards through the composition, to the central spire in the distance, framed beautifully between bellowing chimneys and the tall, imposing factories. The execution of the present work showcases Lowry’s ability to work with the same visual intensity on both a large scale work (as we can see in lot 16) and a smaller, more intimate scale. A Mill Scene, Wigan offers a tightly focused window into Lowry’s memory, depicting a world which already by the mid-1960s was fast disappearing.
This work is sold with a letter dated 9th August 1964 from the Artist to Mr Hunter regarding the commission of this painting.