Alan Lowndes

(British, 1921-1978)

PZ 63

Footnotes

Provenance
Bill Clark
With Gateway Gallery, Hale, where acquired by the present owner, circa 2017
Private Collection, U.K.

Literature
J. Riley, Alan Lowndes, Construction Arts Ltd, 2010, p. 175, illustrated

We are grateful to Jonathan Riley for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.

"Which is more important, people or painting?"
"Painting"
(Bob Crossley in conversation with Alan Lowndes, in J. Riley, Alan Lowndes, Construction Arts Ltd, 2010, p. 157)

When Alan Lowndes moved to St Ives in 1955, his painting shifted away from the industrial landscapes that had made his name, towards a new, largely maritime focus. The artist was inspired by the 'sea, colour, scenery and ruggedness' (p. 120) of the Cornish landscape that surrounded him. As a result, what had been planned as a summer trip away from Stockport became a decade long move. PZ 63 was executed in 1970, which was the artist's final year in St Ives, and is one of the works that marks the end of an idyllic and productive period in the artist's life. Despite Lowndes' love of the area, his increased financial difficulties, which were in part due to his growing dependence on alcohol, ultimately led the artist and his family to relocate to Gloucestershire in 1970.

The present lot showcases the influence of Alfred Wallis on Alan Lowndes' work. The stylised ship at the centre of the composition of PZ 63 is reminiscent of Wallis's nautical scenes. Although Wallis had passed away long before Lowndes moved to St Ives, he had a large impact on Lowndes' own work, who considered him to be a 'great painter' (p. 156). Lowndes' love of Wallis, and the seascapes that he produced, were at odds with the general trend towards abstraction that was overtaking St Ives between 1955 and 1970. Although many of the artist's contemporaries considered his work to be 'old fashioned' (p. 56), there has been a re-examination of Lowndes in recent years, that has situated him as one of the key artists working in St Ives during that period. At the artist's retrospective at Stockport in 1973, Andras Kalman asked, 'What makes a great painter? The answer must be he adds something original and personal to the history or repertoire of painting, and Alan Lowndes does that.' Lowndes' refusal to be swayed by trends led him to create work that has lasted the test of time, and PZ 63 showcases this enduring appeal.