The Football Match
Signed Print

Football was one of Lowry’s most pivotal passions and artistic subjects, reportedly having been a Man City supporter. The Football Match is one of many studies on the game of football. Defining characteristics of Lowry’s style of realism are the mix of smoky industrialism and the modern cityscape, as well as the human and almost intimate spectacle of sport. In Lowry’s series on football, the figures, albeit still stick-like and stylised, are nonetheless more active than in his cityscapes and industrial studies where they wander indifferently across the scenery. In this drawing the players converge on a ball, framed by the goals, the fence and Lowry’s favoured Mancunian skyline. The players are captured mid- movement and Lowry clearly puts emphasis on their clothing through his usage of colour, making them stand out. Beyond them the picture disappears into a haze of urbanity that shrouds factories and churches alike.