The Manchester Man (c. 1936)
O I L
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SIZED: 21 X 17
DATE: 1936
TYPE: OIL
© ESTATE OF L.S. LOWRY
Painted at about the same time as the Head of a Man with Red Eyes 1938, the subject is virtually identical except for the disguise. Michael Shepherd in a deeply sensitive appraisal of the artist's work * sees this mysterious portrait in a revealing light. He writes:
"Disguised with bowler hat, walrus moustache and wing collar, the powerful, stylised face gazes out, with eyes slightly lifted heavenwards. Its affinity is immediately recognisable; it is the Romanesque Christ, who gazes into our soul with a penetration beyond words. Here the eyes are a little raised; man fiercely questioning his self or his god on the 'how' of his existence"
It is a definition which tallies exactly with the artist's state of mind at this particular point in his life and is, of course, like the man with red eyes, a self-portrait.
Source: L.S. Lowry RA, 1887-1976: [catalogue of an exhibition held at the Royal Academy], 4 September to 14 November [1976]
* Putting Lowry in Perspective: Sunday Telegraph, 30th May, 1976
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