LAURENCE STEPHEN LOWRY, R.A. (1887-1976)

The present work depicts Droylsden, a town four miles east of Manchester city centre. The viewer’s eye, along with the figures walking on the left side of the composition, is drawn along the street to the footbridge steps placed strikingly in the centre. A further group of figures stand gathered on the right side of the composition, absorbed in reverie. L.S. Lowry’s choice of perspective leaves us wondering what lies beyond the horizon, out of view. In Footbridge at Droylsden we can identify a number of recurring motifs of Lowry’s work, such as the set of steps at the centre of the composition. Of his fondness for depicting steps, Lowry stated: ‘Steps and things … I liked doing steps, steps in Ancoats … steps in Stockport … steps anywhere you like, simply because I like steps and the area which they were in was an industrial area. I did a lot, you see. I’ve never found it interesting to paint pure landscapes. I’m not interested in pure landscapes. I’ve done a few’ (L.S. Lowry talking to Dr H. Maitland, J. Sandling and M. Leber, Lowry’s City A Painter and his Locale, 2000, p. 60).