Alan Lowndes
Encyclopedia
Alan Lowndes was a British painter known primarily for his scenes of northern life. He also spent time in St Ives
, and he was a close friend of many of the St Ives School
artists.
Lowndes was born in Heaton Norris
a, suburb of Stockport
in 1921, the fifth child of a Railway clerk. He left school at 14, and was apprenticed to a decorator. In World War II
he saw active service in the Middle East and Italy. After the war he studied painting at night school, but was largely self-taught. He began to achieve success in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the period when northern writers such as Stan Barstow
, John Braine
and Alan Sillitoe
were also coming to the fore. He had one man exhibitions in Manchester, London and New York and is represented in many public collections. Although often compared to L. S. Lowry
, he is considered by Terry Frost
to be a greater painter . Alan Lowndes died in Gloucestershire
in 1978.
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, and he was a close friend of many of the St Ives School
St Ives School
The St Ives School refers to a group of artists living and working in the Cornish town of St Ives.-History:The town became a magnet for artists following the extension to West Cornwall of the Great Western Railway in 1877...
artists.
Lowndes was born in Heaton Norris
Heaton Norris
Heaton Norris is now a mainly residential area of Stockport, England bordering on Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor. Formerly it was the name of the parish, that included Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor and was in Lancashire....
a, suburb of Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
in 1921, the fifth child of a Railway clerk. He left school at 14, and was apprenticed to a decorator. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he saw active service in the Middle East and Italy. After the war he studied painting at night school, but was largely self-taught. He began to achieve success in the late 1950s and early 1960s in the period when northern writers such as Stan Barstow
Stan Barstow
Stanley "Stan" Barstow FRSL was an English novelist.-Biography:Barstow was born in Horbury, near Wakefield, Yorkshire. His father was a coal miner and he attended Ossett Grammar School, he then worked as a draftsman and salesman for an engineering firm...
, John Braine
John Braine
John Gerard Braine was an English novelist. Braine is usually associated with the Angry Young Men movement.-Biography:...
and Alan Sillitoe
Alan Sillitoe
Alan Sillitoe was an English writer and one of the "Angry Young Men" of the 1950s.. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was applied.- Biography :...
were also coming to the fore. He had one man exhibitions in Manchester, London and New York and is represented in many public collections. Although often compared to L. S. Lowry
L. S. Lowry
Laurence Stephen Lowry was an English artist born in Barrett Street, Stretford, Lancashire. Many of his drawings and paintings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas, including Pendlebury, where he lived and worked for over 40 years at 117 Station Road , opposite St...
, he is considered by Terry Frost
Terry Frost
Sir Terry Frost RA was an English artist noted for his abstracts....
to be a greater painter . Alan Lowndes died in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in 1978.