About this lot
Description
§ Laurence Stephen Lowry RA (British 1887-1976)
Woman with a Beard
signed 'L.S. Lowry' (lower right)
lithograph
61 x 50cm
Footnote:
Horizons peppered with vertiginous factory chimneys coughing out sooty clouds of industry and stylised matchstick figures scurrying across canvases have become synonymous with Lowry's name, the present lot, an arresting portrait of a bearded woman, therefore sits peculiarly within the body of his work.
Lowry encountered his sitter in 1957, on a train travelling from Cardiff to London. In an account of his journey, Lowry claimed that he was so taken by the woman, whom he described as "having quite a nice face and a very long beard", that he was immediately compelled to sketch her. It would appear that Lowry was not particularly discreet in his sketching as, after a short while, the woman asked him what he was doing. Sheepishly, and blushing like a "Dublin Bay prawn", Lowry showed her his sketch. He recalls that at first, she was troubled by the drawing, but by the time they had reached Paddington station the pair had become firm friends. Later that same year, Lowry would use his hastily scribbled sketch to create an oil painting of his friend from the train.
Reflecting upon his interaction with his sitter, Lowry noted that she was a "an able and intelligent woman, completely alone and isolated behind her deformity". A reclusive figure himself, Lowry’s portrait is one of quiet beauty and kindness and demonstrates his compassion for the sitter.
Back to lot listings