Fascinating insights into iconic painter LS Lowry’s time studying at the Manchester Municipal School of Art have been revealed thanks to a series of report cards unearthed from archives at the University’s Special Collections Museum.
The records show how Lowry juggled work and studies, with Lowry multitasking paid employment as a rent collector alongside evening life drawing classes that would prove key to the success of his future career.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Manchester Met and to honour one of its most talented alumni, the University will rename its Benzie Building, the modern home of Manchester School of Art, as the Lowry Building from August 1 this year.
Lowry, who is world-renowned for painting scenes of life in the industrial North West of England, attended the Manchester Municipal School of Art, now the University’s Manchester School of Art, from 1905-1915.
He studied under the tutelage of renowned French impressionist painter Adolphe Valette whose teaching inspired Lowry to develop his inimitable artistic style.
Spanning from 1914 when he was aged 26, living in Pendlebury and intermittently attending classes, the records paint a picture of a student balancing earning a living with following his passion.
Lowry was 17-years old when he first attended evening classes at the School of Art, including life drawing lessons with Adolphe Valette.
Studying in Manchester Met’s historic Grosvenor West Building, which has re-opened reopened following a two-year refurbishment, the cards record Lowry’s modules in ‘anatomical drawing’ – studying and drawing from bones and casts – as well as ‘life and antique’ – sketching antique casts from the school’s collection.
Special Collections Archivist Jeremy Parrett said: “While Lowry was later to bring his clear and original genius to his work as an artist, it was the decade he spent studying at Manchester School of Art that established the solid foundations for that work.
“These registration cards represent a lot about what the school offered Lowry when he came here and how that, in many respects, what the University still offers our students now. He was able to attend classes around his full-time job and also pick up his studies again later in life.”
An event to formally name the Lowry Building and celebrate the artist’s life and work will be held in the autumn.
