L S LOWRY THE UNKNOWN

Thursday, August 27, 2020

L S LOWRY STAHL'S EAR HUNCHBACK FIGURES DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

RE LOWRY DRAWINGS PAINTINGS CONNECTIONS FLEDERMAUS DRACULA SPOCK

Lowry did several drawings which I stumbled on, one of which, of an unknown sitter of African descent, is at bottom.

On the reverse of this large sheet are several life drawing sketches of another, seemingly caucasian, sitter. This person has a hunchback. He also, in these drawings at least, has pointed, so-called Stahl ear deformity, Spock, Satyr, Vulcan, or perhaps bat, ears. (Fledermaus, as well as Dracula, were popular at that time, I believe.) I will insert an image of him with this post here.

These sitters, both the African sitter, and the hunchback with Spock ears, I believe are also shown at several points in other drawings and in later oil paintings. Here are some references:

Drawings Of L. S. Lowry, Mervin Levy, image number 8, seems to be this man, albeit with normal shaped ears. I believe that I have seen another image of this sitter, with the hair covering over his ears, but cannot find it among my reference books. 

Levy's book also contains an image of an Antique shop, image number 22, 1924, which may, possibly, show the same earlier African sitter, as the central tall figure in the foreground.

Regarding the early drawing of a hunckback sitter with pointed ears, refer to Shelley Rohde's book, L. S. Lowry, A Life, pages 216 a drawing, 186 a painting from 1949 and detail p. 239, for related images of a similar figure, now somewhat older, with hunchback, pointed ears. 

I have some highly detailed scanned images of the faint images for the hunchback figure, but they will not insert into the blog spot.