Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A. (British, 1887-1976) Church, Wath Brow, Cleator Moor signed and dated 'L.S.Lowry/1948' (lower right) pastel and chalk 37.9 x 28 cm. (15 x 11 in.) Fußnoten Provenance The Artist, from whom acquired by Reverend Geoffrey Bennett His sale; Christie's, London, 23 March 1995, lot 108, where acquired by the present owner Private Collection, U.K. Exhibited London, Royal Academy, L.S. Lowry 1887-1976, 4 September-14 November 1976, cat.no.174 Carlisle, Tullie House, The Reverend Mr. Bennett's Lowry's, January-April 1992, cat.no 8 (col.ill) Literature Mervyn Levy The Drawings of L.S. Lowry: Public and Private, Jupiter Books, London, 1976, pl.IV (col.ill) The Reverend Geoffrey Bennett, the first owner of the present work, was one of Lowry's most ardent patrons. The pair met in 1926 when Bennett worked as a clerk in the Foreign Department of the Spring Gardens branch of the London and County Westminster Bank in Manchester. Lowry's cousin Grace Shepherd also worked in the branch and once a week the artist would visit and take her to lunch. Bennett took an interest in Lowry's work, and this was cemented when he later married and the new Mrs Bennett immediately 'achieved a total sympathy' with the artist. As Lowry became more successful, the Pall Mall Property Company, for whom he worked as Chief Cashier allowed him to spend more time working on his paintings, and this enabled him to visit friends who had moved away from the area. When Bennett moved to Cumbria and was made manager of the National Westminster Bank in Cleator Moor, Lowry became a frequent guest. Several works were executed in Cumbria on such visits, including the present work and the well-known Cowles Fish and Chips, Cleator Moor (see Christie's, 24 May 2012, where sold for £145,250) drawn with pastels belonging to the Bennetts' young son. A rare medium amongst Lowry's output, such works display the artist's impressive adaptability and when compared to his oils in which he famously restricted his palette to five colours, he allows himself to employ a rather dazzling array of colours with great success. Of Church, Wath Brow, Cleator Moor, Mervyn Levy comments: 'Lowry's brilliant use of crayon is well exemplified in this drawing. The formula for success is disarmingly simple. In the foreground the strokes are mainly horizontal, adding to the sense of breadth. In the drawing of the church and the sky the crayon strokes are mainly vertical to intensify the feeling of height.' (Mervyn Levy The Drawings of L.S. Lowry: Public and Private, Jupiter Books, London, 1976, pl.IV).
Laurence Stephen Lowry R.A. (British, 1887-1976) Church, Wath Brow, Cleator Moor signed and dated 'L.S.Lowry/1948' (lower right) pastel and chalk 37.9 x 28 cm. (15 x 11 in.) Fußnoten Provenance The Artist, from whom acquired by Reverend Geoffrey Bennett His sale; Christie's, London, 23 March 1995, lot 108, where acquired by the present owner Private Collection, U.K. Exhibited London, Royal Academy, L.S. Lowry 1887-1976, 4 September-14 November 1976, cat.no.174 Carlisle, Tullie House, The Reverend Mr. Bennett's Lowry's, January-April 1992, cat.no 8 (col.ill) Literature Mervyn Levy The Drawings of L.S. Lowry: Public and Private, Jupiter Books, London, 1976, pl.IV (col.ill) The Reverend Geoffrey Bennett, the first owner of the present work, was one of Lowry's most ardent patrons. The pair met in 1926 when Bennett worked as a clerk in the Foreign Department of the Spring Gardens branch of the London and County Westminster Bank in Manchester. Lowry's cousin Grace Shepherd also worked in the branch and once a week the artist would visit and take her to lunch. Bennett took an interest in Lowry's work, and this was cemented when he later married and the new Mrs Bennett immediately 'achieved a total sympathy' with the artist. As Lowry became more successful, the Pall Mall Property Company, for whom he worked as Chief Cashier allowed him to spend more time working on his paintings, and this enabled him to visit friends who had moved away from the area. When Bennett moved to Cumbria and was made manager of the National Westminster Bank in Cleator Moor, Lowry became a frequent guest. Several works were executed in Cumbria on such visits, including the present work and the well-known Cowles Fish and Chips, Cleator Moor (see Christie's, 24 May 2012, where sold for £145,250) drawn with pastels belonging to the Bennetts' young son. A rare medium amongst Lowry's output, such works display the artist's impressive adaptability and when compared to his oils in which he famously restricted his palette to five colours, he allows himself to employ a rather dazzling array of colours with great success. Of Church, Wath Brow, Cleator Moor, Mervyn Levy comments: 'Lowry's brilliant use of crayon is well exemplified in this drawing. The formula for success is disarmingly simple. In the foreground the strokes are mainly horizontal, adding to the sense of breadth. In the drawing of the church and the sky the crayon strokes are mainly vertical to intensify the feeling of height.' (Mervyn Levy The Drawings of L.S. Lowry: Public and Private, Jupiter Books, London, 1976, pl.IV).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
