Man looking at something

LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY RA RBA LG NS

Manchester 1887 - 1976 Glossop

Ref: CC 148

Man looking at something

Signed and dated lower left and right: 1961 L.S. LOWRY;

inscribed on the Tib Lane Gallery label attached to the reverse:

Man looking at something

Oil on board: 7 ¾ x 6 ⅞ in / 19.7 x 17.5 cm

Frame size: 11 ½ x 10 ¾ in / 29.2 x 27.3 cm

In a gilded and waxed hollow frame

Provenance: 

Tib Lane Gallery, Manchester;

José Christopherson (1914-2014), gifted to her nephew, James Joseph Mundell CBE (1931-2014), then by descent

Following the sell-out success of his one-man exhibition at the Lefevre Gallery in 1961, Lowry dramatically changed the emphasis of his paintings to focus on single or small groups of figures, stating ‘I feel more strongly about these people than I ever did about the industrial scene.’ In this characterful work, he combines his single figure subject, in works such as Gentleman looking at something and Man in a trilby, 1960 (The Lowry, Salford), with two secondary figures close behind. It is possible that the male protagonist is a representation of the artist. Mervyn Levy described Lowry’s appearance in 1961: ‘His attire is invariable; a dark, baggy suite, with black tie and boots. A thin gold watch-chain hangs across his waistcoat. When it is wet, or cold, he wears either an old fawn raincoat, or a dark overcoat. His usual headwear is an ancient cap slapped down like a pancake.’[1] Maurice Collis suggests that all of Lowry’s figures ‘are his own reflection as if seen in a distorting mirror, the projections of his mood, his very shadows, ghosts of himself…his paintings are both scenes of contemporary life and psychological statements. The duality adds greatly to their force and permanence.’[2]

This painting was previously owned by the Manchester industrialist, James Joseph Mendell CBE, gifted by his aunt, the artist, José Christopherson.

[1] Mervyn Levy, Painters of Today LS Lowry ARA, Studio Books, London 1961, p.19. 

[2] Maurice Collis, The Discovery of LS Lowry, Lund Humphries for Alex Reid & Lefevre, London 1951, pp.21-2.