Beat the winter blues with the sea in Salford
The Sea: LS Lowry and Maggi Hambling
The Lowry, Salford Quays
Until Sun 31January 2010
See and feel the sea in Salford this winter at The Lowry with mesmerizing and powerful paintings of the North Sea by Maggi Hambling, one of Britain's most distinguished contemporary artists alongside our own LS Lowry.
Exercise is proven to be a great way to help beat the winter blues so why not enjoy a warm and dry stroll around The Lowry’s galleries this winter instead of a wet and cold walk in the snow outside. Even just briskly walking improves mood and helps to reduces stress so this uplifting exhibition will provide the perfect antidote to feeling stuck in the city.
Maggi Hambling says she tries to paint the sound and speed of the waves and certainly people say they can almost smell the sea in her paintings. Land-locked Manchester and Salford residents seeking a flavour of the sea need travel no further than Salford Quays for a fix of crashing waves and calming seascapes. As well as painting the sea, Maggi has created new bronze wave sculptures, for this unique exhibition.
Seascapes are perhaps the most surprising element of LS Lowry’s work for those familiar simply with his industrial scenes. Yet the sea was an important metaphor for Lowry – recently described by The Guardian as ‘the greatest seascape painter of the 20th century’; Maggi Hambling is as absorbed and excited by the sea as her predecessor.
Hambling observes, “The surprise of Lowry’s sea-paintings is that they are unpeopled. He achieves a stark clarity which speaks directly to us. He can create the undercurrents as if by magic, with great economy of mark and minimal gesture. The results are hypnotic and contemporary.
The Sea, by Maggi Hambling, a beautifully produced book of words and images, was launched with this exhibition.
Posted on Tuesday, 22 December 2009 under Press Theatre Press