Critical Review
Showing three portraits side by side, Self Portrait, The Artist Mother And The Artist Father is a lithograph from 1975 by L. S. Lowry, each depicted in highly realistic styles that differ greatly from his iconic industrial scenes. Showing the artist himself alongside his mother and father, the self-portrait is after an oil on board painting from 1925 and the prints of Mother and Father are after oil on canvases from 1910.
Lowry was often wrongly labelled as a ‘Sunday painter’ by critics since throughout his artistic career he worked as a rent collector during the day and worked on his art at night. However, his highly stylised method of painting and drawing was not due to a lack of training or discipline, and Self Portrait, The Artist Mother And The Artist Father proves his profound artistic abilities. The artist has said of this,“I am tired of people saying I am self-taught. I am sick of it. I did the life drawing for twelve solid years, and that I think is the foundation of painting.”
Lowry was an only child and had an unhappy relationship with his mother and father. His mother always remarked that she wanted daughters and his relationship with his father had always been cold and strained. Produced on the artist’s 88th birthday, this set of portraits mark as a reminder of the influence Lowry’s parents had on his unusual life.
