![Laurence Stephen Lowry - Figures on a Beach [1960] by Gandalf's Gallery](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/11925079485_bf8de9eb2a.jpg)
Lowry's sophistication as a painter is something that is often overlooked due to the power of his subject-matter, but in works such as Figures on a Beach, the subtlety of his use of colour to modulate the thickly-painted surface and the absolute economy with which he delineates figures, investing them with mood and personality in a simple flick of the brush, is clear to see. The seaside offered Lowry, as a painter, different possibilities, freeing his hand to looser, more impressionistic touches. His fascination as an artist, however, for the disjointed life of the city, remains, just as it did for those working-class families taking in the bracing air.
[Sotheby’s, London - Oil on canvas board, 38 x 60 cm]