When history repeats itself ……. and art imitates art

 "Never work with children or animals" is that famous one liner attributed to W.C.Fields and to this can be added never take a famous artist and assume he never came to where you live.

At the Lowry home to his paintings, 2006

Which brings me to L.S Lowry which my Wikipedia tells me that “Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Lancashire (where he lived and worked for more than 40 years) as well as Salford and its vicinity [often depicting] scenes of life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century.

He developed a distinctive style of painting and is best known for his urban landscapes peopled with human figures, often referred to as "matchstick men". He also painted mysterious unpopulated landscapes, brooding portraits and the unpublished "marionette" works, which were only found after his death. He was fascinated by the sea, and painted pure seascapes, depicting only sea and sky, from the early 1940s”. *

At which point I have to say he don’t do anything for me, heretical as that is and I await abuse from Mrs. Treliss of Broughton his industrial landscapes and people don’t do it.

And all this despite heaps of discussions with my chum Peter Topping who over the years has patiently set time aside to explain Lowry and show me examples of his non matchstick work.

Lowry's friends at the Lych Gate in Chorlton

Peter who is also an artist long ago took Lowry to his heart and has celebrated the painter by producing pictures of Chorlton in the style of the man.

These over the years have found their way onto the blog under the banner of “When Lowry came to Chorlton”, and now it seems he may have done.

Last night Peter emailed over his discovery that "I uncovered an Instagram post that someone posted with a B&W drawing with Lowry’s signature and date 1960.

 And someone on ebay selling a print of it.

 On further research I found that he had indeed come to Chorlton and sketched The Lych Gate and called it Chorltonville.

 

In the Library, 2026

Somehow the title had got miss read, or miss printed and catalogued as Charltonville see attached copy below

 There is a known Lowry drawing titled something like 'At Charltonville / The Old Cemetery', dated 1960, and it has appeared in auction listings.

One such listing describes it as 'L S LOWRY AT CHARLTONVILLE THE OLD CEMETRY 1960 PENCIL DRAWING' .

Perhaps Lowry visited our Library

This confirms that Lowry produced a drawing connected with Charltonville (note the spelling) and a cemetery scene around that time.

 L S LOWRY AT CHARLTONVILLE THE OLD CEMETRY 1960 PENCIL DRAWING” does indeed appear online — but only as the title of an eBay listing, not as an authenticated catalogue entry or museum‑verified work. The listing shows a hardback print being sold, not an original drawing, and the spelling ('Charltonville', 'Cemetry') is the seller’s own wording, not Lowry’s, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187509554804?msockid=3df35e1922496e41178348a6230a6f34”

So with that in mind Chorlton Library have asked Peter to put on a Pop Up exhibition of some of his pieces in the series “When Lowry came to Chorlton” .

Alas all of Mr. Lowry's paintings including his 'At Charltonville / The Old Cemetery' remain copyright and for all the right reasons I ain't putting them up on here.

So its just down to Chorlton Library to walk where  history repeats itself ……. and art imitates art.

Picture; At the Lowry home to his paintings, 2006, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Painting; If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton, © 2017 Peter Topping, and new paintings from the Lowry series, by Peter, 2026 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

*L.S.Lowry, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._S._Lowry

Happy birthday Mr. Lowry ...........

I had forgotten, but then as he died in 1976, I can perhaps be forgiven for missing out on sending him a card.

Not so my old chum Peter Topping who is a great fan of the man, and produced a series of paintings in the style of the artist.

These went on exhibition in 2017 at the Tutku Café, where I am pleased to say they are still on show.*

Like Mr. Lowry, Peter playfully offered up pictures on the theme of “If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton”, and along with those paintings he produced picture postcards which are available from him and Chorlton Bookshop.

And if you are a tad lazy you can see some more, here on the blog by following the link.**

Painting; If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton, © 2017 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures, Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

Picture; photograph of a self-portrait, L S Lowry, 1966, from the collection of David Harrop 

* Tutku Cafe, 428 Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton, Manchester M21 8AD,  0161 222 3365

** If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/If%20Mr%20Lowry%20came%20to%20Chorlton

If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton

Now I have no idea if the artist Lowry ever came to Chorlton.

But Peter Topping decided he would do a series of paintings in the style of Mr Lowry and this is Beech Road.

Location; Chorlton


Fist posted in November 2017

If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton ...... down on the Green

Now I have no idea if the artist Lowry ever came to Chorlton.

But Peter Topping decided he would do a series of paintings in the style of Mr Lowry and this is that “Pub on the Green”.

I do know that Mr Lowry was once a regular in Sam’s Chop House in town and would sometimes do a sketch on a napkin as payment for a pint, so those with a vivid imagination might ponder on what he might have offered up in return for a pint in the Horse & Jockey.

All tosh I know but fun, and we should all have a bit of fun everyday.

Location; Chorlton

Painting; If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton, © 2017 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,

Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

First posted in November 2017

When Lowry came to Chorlton

Now I have no idea if L.S. Lowry came to Chorlton.

He is buried in Southern Cemetery which Peter says almost counts and it wouldn’t have been that far to travel over from Salford or from Mottram in Longdendale which was his home for twenty-eight years.

And inspired by the idea that Mr Lowry might have come here, Peter chose to paint a series of pictures in the style of the artist outside some of our well known drinking haunts which I called If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton.*

Of course back in the 1950s and ‘60’s the Horse and Jockey looked a lot different and the Sedge Lynn was still a snooker hall but if they were as they are now this is how he might have painted them.

So with that in mind and with Mr Lowry’s birthday coming up on November 1st, Peter is exhibiting his collection of Lowry inspired paintings at Tutku Cafe, on Barlow Moor Rd, to coincide with anniversary of the artist’s birth.*

Peter has added that “L. S. Lowry is best known for his matchstick men and industrial landscape paintings, he was a famous Manchester artist, born in Stretford on November 1st 1887.

 His father died in 1932 leaving a great deal of debt, which drove his mother into depression. She took to her bed until she died in 1939. Lowry became a rent collector which provided a stable income and much of his later life was spent looking after his sickly mother. 

It wasn’t until the last 25 years of his life that he became famous. 
He died in 1976 and is buried in Southern Cemetery.
        

As part of my Homage to... series, and to celebrate his birthday, I have decided to create paintings in his style, or perhaps I should say, in a style that he may have chosen if he had access to modern painting techniques.
        
I have decided to create an exhibition of paintings reimagining what it would be like if he had strayed from the industrial landscapes of Salford and taken a stroll through Chorlton-cum-Hardy".

So that just leaves you to pop along to the Tutku Cafe, and see for yourself.

Location; sort of Chorlton

Painting; If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton, © 2017 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,

Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

* If Mr Lowry came to Chorlton, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/If%20Mr%20Lowry%20came%20to%20Chorlton

** Tutku Cafe, 428 Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton, Manchester M21 8AD,  0161 222 3365

First posted in November 2017