L.S. Lowry RA 1887-1976

The Derelict House, 1952

Oil on canvas
14 x 20 ins (35.56 x 50.80 cms)
Signed and dated

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Provenance

with Lefevre Gallery, London.
with Michael and Steven Rich, London, where purchased by the previous owner and gifted to him in 2001.

Exhibition History

Liverpool, Tate Gallery, Lowry in Liverpool, October 2006 - April 2007, catalogue not traced.
Kendal, Abbot Hall Art Gallery, The Loneliness of L.S. Lowry, July - October 2010, no. 16: this exhibition travelled to London, Crane Kalman Gallery, November - December 2010.
Salford, The Lowry, on loan, April 2011 - April 2012.

Literature

The Times, Playlist Magazine, 'The Loneliness of Lowry', July 2010, p. 21.

General Notes

'I'm attracted to decay, I suppose; in a way to ugliness, too. A derelict house gets me.'
(In interview with Edwin Mullins, 'My lonely Life by L.S. Lowry', Sunday Telegraph, 20 November 1966).

Britain in 1951 was still coming to terms with the aftermath of the Second World War and the decline of industry. The Derelict House continues a well-known theme that focuses on minimalist and almost mystical subjects, seen most frequently in his seascapes, but also in landscapes and other depictions of desolate and decaying houses.

In this painting, the curved road which pushes out towards the centre foreground draws the viewer's eye to the single figure looking towards the open door of the derelict house, an island in the seeming emptiness. Lowry explores the tension of a lonely landscape - a dilapidated solitary house centred in the picture space with the fence marking a boundary with the gently undulating hills that provide a diminishing horizon. Initially there may be a temptation to see the image as melancholy, a symbol of the decay and futility of the future, but the image may also be perceived as very peaceful and calm, contemplative of the past and looking to the future.

As a painter Lowry was a master of simplicity and clarity of composition. In this work he emphasises the various elements of the painting with horizontal white brushstrokes used for the road and background, whilst overlaying contrasting vertical brushstrokes on the house, fence and figure to bring these aspects of the image to our attention. The tonality and texture of the white imbues the scene with a dream-like, other-worldly atmosphere.