L S Lowry – Genius or overated chancer?

You mean to say the North is different now?I hadn't noticed

Rusty,
Lived in Manc for 20 years now, so plenty of time to get tired of regional pride, which infects the appreciation of Lowry, it all comes over more 'Granada Reports' than' Guggenheim'. I was lucky enough to grow up somewhere that I was gagging to move away from, oxfordshire, [though love to go riding there in the Chiltern hills now] so get a bit irked by Manc Nationalism. [over-sensitive I know]

I take your point that the Lowry museum may have benefited other galleries and I respect the efforts of many of them who operate with really limited budgets, so I'll have a think on that one.

Surely though you've got to admit that there's so little substantial/world class Art shown in Manchester, [thus my nod to the Tate LIverpool] and even Frank Coen has his Gallery in Wolverhampton. And they've just turned Urbis into A f***ing footie museum. So the over celebration of Lowry looks a little desperate at times and looks very parochial.

Oh, and I thought this forum was for ranting?

inkster, I can (sort of) see your point.

As a Manc myself, I have a healthy interest in the history and achievements of the city, but I do try to be objective.
I don't think pride for your hometown is exclusive to Manchester, seems to be a feature of every single British city, town, village or hamlet I've ever been to.

I was brought up with Lowry prints around the house and have always found him fascinating – I can identify with the spirit of the collage cityscapes having been brought up in the areas that inspired them. Doesn't mean I can't be objective about his skills as an artist though.
Indeed, I think being a Manc makes me question homegrown talent all the more:
I remember the clamour surrounding Oasis when they first appeared and being laughed at for believing that they were a mediocre Beatles cover ban with all the charm of syphilis – I think time has proved me right on that one. 🙂

As for the over emphasis placed on Lowry compared to other local Artists, I agree that it might be a bit annoying, especially to Harold Riley!

But because of the wonderful building created to house his work, almost every Mancunian/Salfordian schoolchild has now visited an art gallery housing work that they can identify with.
Surely that can only be a good thing?

You might, as you admit, just be a wee bit over sensitive to local pride – for god's sake don't move Scotland, you'd probably explode.

Oh, the OP is a Manc too by the way.
I've been to Berwick and Lowry's work does seem strange & naive when placed outside the environment we expect.
Certainly made me ask the same question at the time.

Personally, I love Lowry's paintings. I can see that they aren't exact replicas of what he saw, but there's a feel and a character to them that I love.

I say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, art in the mind of the creator.

Anyone here got an opinion on Kyffin Williams?

Love his stuff myself, but then I think North Wales is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so I'm definitely a bit biased on that one. 🙂

Rusty,

Although I was just having a bit of fun with my original rant, much to my suprise it seems to have solicited a considered and intelligent response. I guess I was expecting to provoke a little harmless regionalistic banter, as in truth we know that Mancs, with their fine comedic tradition, don't take themselves too seriously. [Unlike some other cities not too far away!]

On a more serious note, I suppose my concern is that although Manchester has seen itself transformed over the last decade or so and has come to be seen as a model for regeneration, it seems to be in a bit of a cultural limbo and tends all too often to refer to past glories to define itself. [most obviously in the case of music, an area which came to define the city and helped inspire the regeneration but has been almost irrelevant for 15 years]

So I ask myself would I rather have seen the Lowry centre open as it is, or see something more ambitious . I know i'm being a little unkind to the artist himself but in a perverse way, I suppose I too have some Manc pride and would have loved too have seen a more substantial/heavyweight Art establishment with a more forward looking and international agenda developed for the city.

I think a Lowry collection would be better absorbed by the City Art Gallery and the Salford site developed more with the future in mind than the past. Maybee it was the cheapest option, as i'm sure what I am suggesting would have cost a fortune but I think it was an opportunity missed, because with a little more ambition we could have got something better. The Salford/ Manchester distinction is meaningless in the broader context and if this had any bearing on developments it's a great shame and we all lose out.

I much prefer Kyffins works and one day, just maybe Isherwood might get some credit for his works some of which I just love see

http://www.motionfineart.com/lawrence_isherwood.htm

Anyone here got an opinion on Kyffin Williams?

I immediately thought "Mint Sauce" 🙁

Anyone here got an opinion on Kyffin Williams?

Based on that evidence, he's crushingly depressing and as a result I don't want to hang around and work out what might be going on.