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

[Harry Slagg]

Good god! Bluemoon as an educational forum. Who would have thought it.

This is the first in a series of tenuously City related articles aimed at enlightening some of the philistines on here. Next week it's Barry Conlon and the Theory of Relativity.

Can we then have Mark Robins on the Metaphysical Poets?

 

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

Used to see him pottering about outside his house in Mottram quite often.

 

[LongsightM13]

ANy of you interested in art should check out the work of the acclaimed Liam Spencer. He's originally from Burnley I think but has painted urban Manchester extensively. His work include Maine Road twilight, a picture of the all-seated Kippax, and Bluemoon Chippy. They can be viewed here, top right and about three below that
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.liamspencer.co.uk/paintings/manchester/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.liamspencer.co.uk/paintings/manchester/</a>

 

[Ric]

Good shout mate, I like Liam Spencer's stuff. Got Maine Road Twilight and Bluemoon Chippy in my office (prints, not originals, obviously).

 

[LongsightM13]

Good shout mate, I like Liam Spencer's stuff. Got Maine Road Twilight and Bluemoon Chippy in my office (prints, not originals, obviously).

I went to an exhibition of his at the gallery in Moseley Street not long after the PFA collection, both of the originals were on display. Lovely pieces of work, especially the Kippax one

 

[johnbmcr]

ANy of you interested in art should check out the work of the acclaimed Liam Spencer. He's originally from Burnley I think but has painted urban Manchester extensively. His work include Maine Road twilight, a picture of the all-seated Kippax, and Bluemoon Chippy. They can be viewed here, top right and about three below that
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.liamspencer.co.uk/paintings/manchester/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.liamspencer.co.uk/paintings/manchester/</a>

Big link with Lowry when they opened the gallery in Salford Quays Liam Spencer was the first artist featured great stuff nearly as pricey as a ticket for QPR these days

 

[LongsightM13]

ANy of you interested in art should check out the work of the acclaimed Liam Spencer. He's originally from Burnley I think but has painted urban Manchester extensively. His work include Maine Road twilight, a picture of the all-seated Kippax, and Bluemoon Chippy. They can be viewed here, top right and about three below that
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.liamspencer.co.uk/paintings/manchester/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.liamspencer.co.uk/paintings/manchester/</a>

Big link with Lowry when they opened the gallery in Salford Quays Liam Spencer was the first artist featured great stuff nearly as pricey as a ticket for QPR these days

Yes, I saw a documentary that I think Granada TV did (South Bank Show?) about Spencer and they mentioned the Lowry connection

 

[urmston]

Fantastic article Chris.
I went to see Going To The Match when the PFA loaned its art collection to Manchester Art Gallery about five years ago, and spent an hour just staring at it, picking out tiny details in the crowd scene.
I'm sure I have read and heard more than once that this painting was based on a City away game at Burnden Park?
Lowry spent most of his childhood in Longsight and so would have been within easy walking distance of Maine Road

Except that Maine Road wasn't built until 1923 when Lowry was 36. Perhaps he strolled to Hyde Road.

 

[Mike N]

I remember a Granada programme about Lowry and he was asked what he thought about when he was painting. He said he used to think about City and whether they would win on Saturday!

 

[tornandfrayed]

I remember a programme about him many years ago in which his friend and fellow artist Harold Riley was talking about him. If I remember correctly (the possibility does exist that it was a programme about two completely different people such is the state of my memory) Harold Riley (a United fan from Salford) said that although Lowry was a City fan he used to watch United as well. However when the scandal about illegal payments blew up in the 1900's and City had to sell a number of players Lowry was upset with the underhand way United behaved to get City players (including his hero Billy Meredith) to join them and that turned him completely against United.
I can find no evidence to back this up apart from my own unreliable memory but Gary James might be able to give some background on the scandal and City fans reaction to Meredith joining United.