Footnotes

Provenance
The Artist, from whom acquired by
Dame Mabel Tylecote, 1942 (4 gns.), thence by descent to
Private Collection, Torquay
Their sale; Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, Exeter, 2 July 2008 (as Colyhurst Footbridge)
With Richard Green, London, where acquired by
Professors Sir Kenneth and Lady Noreen Murray

Executed in 1935, A Footbridge demonstrates Lowry's extraordinary ability as a draughtsman. The classic heavy shading that the artist adopted during the 1930s creates an instantly powerful image, accentuated further by the structure of the composition which includes clean lines and a dramatic perspective that begins in the immediate foreground. The 1930s were a challenging period for Lowry whose father had died in 1932 leaving him to care for his bed-ridden mother who was prone to neurosis and depression. A certain solitude was felt as a result of these circumstances and Lowry himself referred to several pictures of the period as 'lonely landscapes'. Whilst not overtly desolate, the placement of the figures in A Footbridge and in particular the two positioned rigidly at the top of the stairs, seemingly with nowhere to go, give a sense of isolation.

Steps and footbridges were popular themes in Lowry's work throughout his career. There are further pencil studies which very closely relate to the present work including, Footbridge, Droylsden, which gives a specific location. The composition was also worked into oil with A Footbridge dating to 1938 and Steps 1940.

Professor Sir Kenneth Murray FRS FRSE FRCPath (30 December 1930–7 April 2013) and his wife Lady Noreen Elizabeth Murray (née Parker) CBE, FRS FRSE (26 February 1935–12 May 2011) were both molecular biologists. They and their team developed the vaccine against hepatitis B, the first genetically-engineered vaccine approved for human use. Together they founded the Darwin Trust of Edinburgh, a charity supporting young biologists in their doctoral studies. This charity, of which Sir Kenneth was Chairman, will benefit from the sale of this lot.