Critical Review
Drawn in a larger landscape format than any of the artist’s other lithographs, Street Full Of People by L. S. Lowry is a print from 1966 that shows a simple scene of figures in front of some terraced houses. The scene is drawn from a slightly elevated view, though the figures in the foreground remain the central focus of the scene.
Until the final years of his life Lowry continued to draw obsessively, producing over 8,000 works, many like this one that were made on location as a means to capture the nuances of his everyday life. It is clear that Street Full Of People was produced quickly from life by Lowry, due to the print’s loose lines and simplistic shapes used to give the impression of a bustling residential street. Lowry saw drawing as a medium in its own right, not just as an important step in producing paintings.
There is much speculation surrounding whether Lowry’s portrayal of the working classes was sympathetic or whether his figures appear as grotesque caricatures. As an early drawing, Street Full Of People seems to represent a more sympathetic view of the people Lowry was so interested in depicting. Though the figures are highly stylised, Lowry takes care to take his subjects seriously whilst showing them in a light-hearted context.
