L. S. LOWRY, ON THE SANDS, SIGNED LITHOGRAPH, EDITION OF 500
Produced after an oil painting from 1953 of the same name, On The Sands is a lithograph print by L. S. Lowry that shows a number of families on a day out to the beach. The sea was a significant source of inspiration for Lowry. During the 1960s, the artist regularly visited the northeast, staying at the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland in a room from which he could see the North Sea.
On The Sands captures Lowry’s amusing and distinctive vision of British summer time, one that does not show scenes of sunshine and sunbathers, but fully clothed characters with coats and some with hats on. Boats are depicted in the background, but none appear to be in use, as they lay dormant piled up on the sand.
Having painted many industrial city scenes by this point in his career, On The Sands effectively transports the same figures from his townscapes and places them on the beach, wearing the same clothing as they would in the cities. After the war it was common for the working classes to travel by train to the seaside for their annual holiday, thus this print is indicative of Lowry’s desire to capture the working class experience in their leisure time.
Discover more L.S. Lowry artworks.
ABOUT L. S. LOWRY
L.S. Lowry is a much-loved British painter known for pictures that capture urban life in industrial north west England, most notably during the 1920s. Born in 1887 in Stretford, Lancashire, Laurence Stephen Lowry later moved to Pendlebury near Manchester where he lived and worked for over 40 years. The area, which he at first detested, was covered in factories and cotton mills that Lowry would soon obsessively depict. His fascination with the industrial landscapes and the people that inhabited them was inspired by a missed train. Standing on the platform at Pendlebury station, Lowry would later write of the view of the Acme Spinning Company’s mill, saying “I watched this scene – which I’d look at many times without seeing – with rapture.” Learn more about L. S. Lowry.
