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Lot 21AR

Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A.
(British, 1887-1976)
A Landmark 25.4 x 35.6 cm. (10 x 14 in.)

28 May 2014, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £32,500 inc. premium

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Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A. (British, 1887-1976)

A Landmark
signed and dated 'L S Lowry 1936' (lower left)
pencil
25.4 x 35.6 cm. (10 x 14 in.)

Footnotes

Provenance
Acquired by the father of the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.

Despite his most immediate association with the urban townscape, Lowry must also be considered as a dedicated landscape artist. A constant theme within his work, these rarely topographically accurate compositions (as in the urban scenes), can be considered some of his most memorable images. Possibly brought about as a result of his traumatic domestic situation in the 1930s, Lowry often referred to these works as 'lonely landscapes', a description which can be clearly understood in the context of the present work.

A Landmark relates to the famous oil of the same title and date (1936, The Lowry, Salford) and is almost identical with the exception of a lack of water in the foreground. Executed with the trademark heavy shading of the period and simple at first glance, this quiet drawing is open to interpretation and perhaps reveals more complexities than are initially apparent. Several of these landscapes have an erotic presence (here the hill and obelisk) which arguably shows the adolescent nature of Lowry's sexual humour whilst at the same time reinforcing that much of his output was rooted in those things seen. Devoid of human activity and seemingly unaffected by seasonal changes of light and growth, these landscapes were drawn from excursions in Lancashire, Derbyshire and the Yorkshire moors.

Additional information

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