Artist Research

L.S Lowry

Lowry was born in 1887, and died in 1976. He was an English painter, and is known for creating paintings based off of street scenes and town scapes.

In 1904, upon leaving school, he worked in Manchester as a clerk with a firm of chartered accountants, studying painting and drawing gin the evenings at the Municipal College of Art from 1905 to 1915. After this he studied at Salford School of Art from 1915 to 1925. Despite such a long time spent as an Art student, he considered himself to be self-taught. 

In 1910, he became a rent collector and clerk with Pall Mall Property Company in Manchester. He remained a full time employee and later, chief cashier, until his retirement in 1952.

He drew inspiration from his surroundings, particularly Pendlebury, where he lived from 1909 to 1948. 

His reputation was slow to be established, and he remained unconcerned about his growing fame and commercial success. 

He was elected an RA in 1962.

While he was chiefly associated with townscapes and street scenes, he also painted numerous country scenes as well as views from the seaside and of harbours. Occasionally, he touched on current affairs.