Laurie’s Game: L.S. Lowry and Manchester City

[Gary James]

I share those sentiments entirely. The first Lowry painting I ever saw was in the Doctor's waiting room at Mottram surgery (old surgery). Story was that Lowry had paid for his treatment with a painting, but don't know if that's actually true.

Me and my brother once knocked on Lowrys door in Mottram when we were about 8 or 9. He let us in and we had a shufty round.There were paintings piled everywhere. He signed an old fag packet for us! He had an old record player with some classical music on and I vaguely remember some strange award he had on the table..think it said something like Man of the Year 1966..or something like that. I swear he would have given us a few sketches if wed bothered to ask. Must have been around 1975.
Gary which school did you go to if you dont mind me asking.

Primary = Arundale (Mr Hughes head who loved Utd), secondary = Hyde Grammar. Lowry didn't like Hattersley - ironically there's Lowry Grove (I think) named after him there.

I agree with Chris about his biographers totally missing the point about football. I believe this is because, in the main, art critics write biogs of artists and probably do an excellent job, but they may not have any feeling for football. What football fans see is often different to what they may see. It doesn't mean we're right and they're wrong, but it does mean that a very important element is missed from his life and work.

Harold Riley recognised Lowry's passion for the game and talks about it because he is equally interested in football - he's red, Lowry blue but they shared the passion for the game.

At least at the new National Football Museum Lowry will be covered. I'm not involved with that exhibit but I have seen some of the work and from what I have been told they are using Going To The Match and other Lowry work to highlight how football was.

Fitting that it will all happen in Manchester and only yards from Salford.

 

[BillyMC]

I share those sentiments entirely. The first Lowry painting I ever saw was in the Doctor's waiting room at Mottram surgery (old surgery). Story was that Lowry had paid for his treatment with a painting, but don't know if that's actually true.

Me and my brother once knocked on Lowrys door in Mottram when we were about 8 or 9. He let us in and we had a shufty round.There were paintings piled everywhere. He signed an old fag packet for us! He had an old record player with some classical music on and I vaguely remember some strange award he had on the table..think it said something like Man of the Year 1966..or something like that. I swear he would have given us a few sketches if wed bothered to ask. Must have been around 1975.
Gary which school did you go to if you dont mind me asking.

Primary = Arundale (Mr Hughes head who loved Utd), secondary = Hyde Grammar. Lowry didn't like Hattersley - ironically there's Lowry Grove (I think) named after him there.

I agree with Chris about his biographers totally missing the point about football. I believe this is because, in the main, art critics write biogs of artists and probably do an excellent job, but they may not have any feeling for football. What football fans see is often different to what they may see. It doesn't mean we're right and they're wrong, but it does mean that a very important element is missed from his life and work.

Harold Riley recognised Lowry's passion for the game and talks about it because he is equally interested in football - he's red, Lowry blue but they shared the passion for the game.

At least at the new National Football Museum Lowry will be covered. I'm not involved with that exhibit but I have seen some of the work and from what I have been told they are using Going To The Match and other Lowry work to highlight how football was.

Fitting that it will all happen in Manchester and only yards from Salford.

My brother was expelled 3 times from Hyde Grammar...he held the record for most canings in a year off Harry Adams (..think that was the headmasters name!)

 

[andy h]

Those mosaics of Mark Kennedy's are great. Particularly like the City badge and the one of Joe Mercer holding the trophy aloft!

 

[youngblueeyes]

I’ve a signed print of the ‘Going to the Match’ painting. When I inherited it I acquired a book published in 1961 ’L S Lowry – Painters of Today’ which is rammed with interviews of him about all the places he lived and worked in the area, but this bit may be of interest to Blues:

“Walking together on a Saturday afternoon towards one of the Manchester football grounds, and while some distance away, a thick stream of tiny figures started to trickle slowly out of the ground. Lowry’s face dropped: ‘They’ve lost you know’, he said, with quiet dejection. The artist is a keen supporter of Manchester City and recently, while with me in London, he was most anxious to find out how his team had fared against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. But alas! On this occasion also, they had lost…’

Wonder what he'd think of what's going on today. Some years ago I offered to loan the painting and the book to City while they talked of a museum etc, but they (graciously) declined.

 

[lawrenceofbernarbia]

I've just come back from a week away with the mrs traveling up the Northumberland coast. (started with staying at Whitley Bay and going to the Newcastle game) we went up as far as Berwick upon Tweed and I wasn't aware that Lowry loved visiting that place. There is a walk around the town where you can see views across the sea and of old houses and next to them are drawings that Lowry completed of each spot. Absolutely great however the best one is of one of the most brilliant football pitches you could ever play on, cut out of a perfect bit of flat land snuggled in against the military Elizabethan walls. I have a picture of it but don't know how to upload it. This guy clearly loved his football. Well worth a visit the Lowry walk trail up there.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.familytraits.co.uk/football-match-berwick.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.familytraits.co.uk/football- ... rwick.html</a>

 

[Cellarite]

Absolutely the best thing I've read on Tangled Up In Blue. Amazing. Thanks.