Research
One of The Lowry's aims is to increase understanding of L S Lowry's work and his place in the history of modern British art. The books produced by the Lowry Press have contributed to the pool of knowledge about the artist, as well as introducing new opinions and views about Lowry. Click here to visit our gift shop and see a list of Lowry Press books available.
Eddwin Bowes reconstructing L S Lowry's painting Coming from the Mill. We also undertake a research and conservation programme to explore Lowry's working methods and to ensure the L S Lowry Collection is preserved for future generations. Here are two examples of our work: Conserving Lowry's drawings The L S Lowry Collection contains far more works on paper than oil paintings on canvas, reflecting Lowry's passion for drawing. These include many studies he made when he was a student at art school in the early years of the twentieth century, drawing models who posed for the class or copying statues of classical figures. Lowry kept many of these drawings and glued them on card, probably so he could handle them more easily. Today, approaching 100 years later, we are removing the drawings from their card backing to ensure the acid in the glue does not damage the fibres of the paper.  |  |  | | Seated Nude, pencil, c 1908 | | Study of Girl in Peasant Dress,
pencil, c 1917 |
These images are the copyright of The Lowry Collection, Salford and cannot be downloaded or printed for any purpose. |
A programme of X-rays
Recently The Lowry commissioned one of the world's leading 'art detectives' and a renowned expert on fine art forgery, to x-ray a selection of Lowry paintings in an attempt to reveal the hidden techniques, ideas and original concepts that are believed to lurk under the layers of paint. The results were analysed by Edwin Bowes, renowned art conservator, throwing fresh light on the missing early years of Lowry’s development as an artist.
The x-rays show how, as a young man, Lowry was driven by a consuming passion, endlessly painting one art school study on top of another in a desire to master the complexities of his craft. This is in stark contrast to his later work when he made it his mission to ‘put the industrial scene on the map’. The x-rays provide specific information about individual pictures, such as how Lowry changed his mind when painting, details of brushwork and technique, how he re-used the canvas or panel and how damage has been hidden by later restoration.
One example is Pit Tragedy, 1919, oil on canvas, which weighs roughly four times as much as other paintings of similar size. This is because Lowry used many layers of paint on top of each other, which can be seen when it is out of its frame. Some of these layers are green, indicating that Lowry may have painted a landscape on the canvas. The x-rays showed us that the canvas was once divided into two contrasting areas, confirming this theory. The white half is the sky of a landscape painting; the darker half in x- ray transparent colours is the earth. There is another image if you turn the x-ray upside down. It contains a large circular shape and two smaller round objects to the right. This is one of Lowry's rare early still life groups showing fruit nestling in a crumpled white cloth. It would have been similar to another picture in the collection, Still Life with Apples, 1906.
The following painting, Head of a Bald Man, circa 1913 – 1914, was selected because of its weight and it emerged that Lowry had painted this image on a pine board little more than 3mm thick, and which he had re-used again and again. Another picture within the collection was Blitzed Site, 1942; which was painted by Lowry when he was appointed an official war artist so despite war time shortages, he could have obtained good quality, new materials. Instead, he painted this scene on top of at least two earlier images on a canvas which may have been in his studio for 30 years.
Through this work fresh light has been thrown on Lowry’s utilsation of materials, and the development of his technique and style as an artist.
Catalogue Raisonné Project
Inline with The Lowry’s continual undertaking we are currently in the process of compiling a catalogue of LS Lowry’s works which will broaden our understanding of the complexity and evolution of Lowry’s work, his technique, interests and subject matter. The research involved pulls together currently disparate material and will provide a milestone account of his major works. Above all it will provide a definitive cataloguing of the known and extant works, providing a work of reference via its canon of autograph works. This is a long-term project and is very much work in progress.
|
