The Contraption
POA
Laurence Stephen Laurence, R.A. (1887-1976)
The Contraption, c.1972-3
Offset lithograph on wove paper, after the original oil painting from 1949 of the same title (Collection: Private Collection)
Signed ‘L.S. ... Read More
Product Variations
The Contraption
Laurence Stephen Laurence, R.A. (1887-1976)
The Contraption, c.1972-3
Offset lithograph on wove paper, after the original oil painting from 1949 of the same title (Collection: Private Collection)
Signed ‘L.S. Lowry’ lower right in pencil
Stamped by the Fine Art Trade Guild and numbered from the edition of 750
Published by the Adam Collection Ltd.
Printed by Chorley & Pickersgill Ltd.
Size: 12½ x 12 in. (32.4 x 30.5 cm.)
(Please enquire for availability)
Created from the painting of the same name (which was formerly in the collection of Lowry’s dealer, Andras Kalman), The Contraption is the depiction of a scene Lowry observed and found himself so entranced by the proceedings unfolding in front of him that felt moved to capture it in oil for perpetuality. The ‘contraption’ that Lowry depicts in the present is in fact an invalid carriage, of which today’s equivalent would be an electric mobility scooter. The invalid carriage was created in its earliest form in 1655 by Stephan Farfler. Farfler’s contraption used a handle to rotate the wheels, allowing people with disabilities to travel with relative ease. The invalid carriages of the twentieth century were motorised and were similar to a motorcycle with a canopy.
The artist saw the invalid carriage seen in the artwork while wandering the streets of Manchester. Lowry famously describes the encounter with hilarity and embarrassment in equal parts: “I came across that thing on one of my perambulations. There was this man travelling slowly along in an extraordinary upright box on wheels. I followed it. I couldn’t help it. And the man had the face of a poet. Suddenly he stopped and turned on me: “What the bloody hell are you following me about for?” – and plenty of more like language. I felt like a fool.”
Lowry was a great watcher of people. Critic and Lowry historian Mervyn Levy describes how the artist “observed people in many situations: sometimes quarrelling; sometimes startled; now curious at the scene of an accident; now patiently waiting for the shop to open or papers to arrive.” The present work is exemplary of his fascination with individual characters that inspired one critic to describe him as an entomologist, “stalking human insects with his butterfly net... Lowry has become a collector of people.”
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Laurence Stephen Laurence, R.A. (1887-1976)
The Contraption, c.1972-3
Offset lithograph on wove paper, after the original oil painting from 1949 of the same title (Collection: Private Collection)
Signed ‘L.S. Lowry’ lower right in pencil
Stamped by the Fine Art Trade Guild and numbered from the edition of 750
Published by the Adam Collection Ltd.
Printed by Chorley & Pickersgill Ltd.
Size: 12½ x 12 in. (32.4 x 30.5 cm.)
(Please enquire for availability)
Created from the painting of the same name (which was formerly in the collection of Lowry’s dealer, Andras Kalman), The Contraption is the depiction of a scene Lowry observed and found himself so entranced by the proceedings unfolding in front of him that felt moved to capture it in oil for perpetuality. The ‘contraption’ that Lowry depicts in the present is in fact an invalid carriage, of which today’s equivalent would be an electric mobility scooter. The invalid carriage was created in its earliest form in 1655 by Stephan Farfler. Farfler’s contraption used a handle to rotate the wheels, allowing people with disabilities to travel with relative ease. The invalid carriages of the twentieth century were motorised and were similar to a motorcycle with a canopy.
The artist saw the invalid carriage seen in the artwork while wandering the streets of Manchester. Lowry famously describes the encounter with hilarity and embarrassment in equal parts: “I came across that thing on one of my perambulations. There was this man travelling slowly along in an extraordinary upright box on wheels. I followed it. I couldn’t help it. And the man had the face of a poet. Suddenly he stopped and turned on me: “What the bloody hell are you following me about for?” – and plenty of more like language. I felt like a fool.”
Lowry was a great watcher of people. Critic and Lowry historian Mervyn Levy describes how the artist “observed people in many situations: sometimes quarrelling; sometimes startled; now curious at the scene of an accident; now patiently waiting for the shop to open or papers to arrive.” The present work is exemplary of his fascination with individual characters that inspired one critic to describe him as an entomologist, “stalking human insects with his butterfly net... Lowry has become a collector of people.”
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Pay Monthly
You can secure a piece of art from £425 with a payback term of between 5 to 20 months interest free.*
0% Interest Free Credit
Spread the cost over up to 20 months with absolutely no interest to pay across all artworks.
Pay in 3 installments with Klarna.
Pay a low deposit, then between 3 to 12 months interest free.*