For centuries, northern British art has been held in great esteem. Possibly due to the fact that many artists that specialize in such work, display a genuine feel for the people and the areas that they paint and draw. The tough, gritty north of England has its roots embedded in the hard toil of many thousands of workers in the factories of Lancashire, Yorshire, and the north east. Many would have found employment in one of the many cotton mills, the raw material used to be imported from the East, usually India in the days of the Raj.
Some families became very rich, and employed hundreds of people working long hours in a noisy industrial environment, and for relatively little pay, operating machines that would produce cloth to be used throughout the country. The result this had on the communities was to produce masses of low grade housing where men and women would work very long hours struggling to provide for their families. Disease due to overcrowding and lack of nutrition was common in many back to back terraced houses where the workers lived. The mill owners however, enjoyed a spendid life, living in stately homes and consuming the finest food.
Lowry saw and witnessed these events on a daily basis. He saw the children and watched them playing, he saw the men and women prematurely aged by hard labour and the poor living conditions, and identified with them a sadness and loneliness that stayed with him throughout his entire life. His only outlet to show his feelings and passion for those around him were in his paintings and drawings. Primarily painting industrial scenes and later concentrating more on figures and individuals.
It was most likely this genuine passion and insight that he was able to reveal to the world that has made his work amongst the most sought after of Modern British Art in the country today.
There are many northern British artists, both past and present, Helen Bradley spent her life portraying scenes of the north of England in a rather charming manner, that has inspierd many collectors over the years.
Harold Riley, who was a personal friend of L.S.Lowry has produced some wonderful work illustrating life in and around Manchester, showing the various characters of the locals and the places that made them what they are. In fact thereis certainly no shortage of Northern British artists to express the culture and character of the north of England, but the one who has outshone all others by far for originality and sheer atmosphere is undoubtedly L.S.Lowry. There is little doubt in the minds of many great art critics that this artist has captured a certain essence of spirit that shows through in his paintings. Sometimes they are sad and miserable, sometimes lonely, but the one common factor is the intense emmotion that is portrayed.
There are many new artists in the area all wishing to create an image of what they feel and see of the 'Great North', but few manage to capture the realism of Lowry's paintings.
David Tatham, fine picture dealer for more than quarter of a century, has an extensive knowledge of the biography L.S.Lowry. Signed, prints and drawings can be seen and purchased from the Lowry website