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Barges on a Canal

Artist L. S. Lowry (Manchester, England, 1887 - 1976)

Date1941

Mediumoil on board

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 39.8 cm, Width: 53.2 cm
Frame: Height: 58.6 cm, Width: 72.6 cm, Depth: 7 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1945 with income from the Macdonald Bequest.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG002532

Keywords

About MeLike Stanley Spencer, L.S. Lowry's work cannot be neatly aligned to a particular art movement and art historically he does not follow any of his predecessors. Lowry lived in Manchester and Salford and worked by day in full time employment. During the evenings he attended night classes in painting.

Lowry made his surroundings - the urban landscape - the chief subject of his art. His distinctive style and famous 'matchstick' men developed from painting indoors under artificial light from small pencil sketches.

'Barges on a Canal' reflects Lowry's preference for painting onto a white ground in a palette consisting of ochre, blue, black and red - a limited range of colour which contributes to the work's distinctive quality.