Looking back: Sightlines at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, 2009.

When LS Lowry's paintings were moved from Salford Museum and Art Gallery to the new Lowry centre twenty years ago Salford Museum held various exhibitions in the gallery space. In 2009 I was asked to exhibit my work and also given the opportunity to select work from the gallery's rarely seen permanent collection. Although unfortunately I don't have great photos of the exhibition I wanted to share them.

"An exhibition inspired by the English Landscape, with paintings by Salford artist, Susan Laughton and a selection of works from Salford Museum and Art Gallery's permanent collection. The English Landscape has inspired and challenged artists for centuries. Works displayed from Salford's permanent collection demonstrate the artist's traditional preoccupation with the picturesque or landscape as a ‘view'. This exhibition illustrates how one contemporary artist has responded to the challenge and created complex work of sensitive simplicity. Work that speaks as much about our changing relationship with the landscape, as it does about the times we live in." 

Most of the artists I chose were also Northern but I was also excited to find a Prunella Clough (1919-1999) painting Recollection 1976, seen here with The Church on the Hill, Milnthorpe 1979 by Elizabeth Finn (1933- 2019) who was from Marple and on the left my Sodium sky 2006.

Below: Salford born artist Olive Bagshaw's painting Adams Hill, Winter 1978 with Cloudburst 2008 in the foreground.

Below middle: Bolton Parish Church by Brian Bradshaw (1923 - 2016), left: Vanishing point I & II 2009, right: Measured space I & II, 2009. Brian Bradshaw was born in Bolton, attended Bolton Art College and after WW2 was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Art.

Vanishing point, 2009 Susan Laughton

Below left: Faded glory IV & V, right Putney Window by Carel Weight (1908 - 1997) Weight became Professor of Painting at the Royal College of Art in 1957, and was awarded the CBE in 1962. In the following year he painted the mural Christ and the People for Manchester Cathedral, and in 1965 was elected RA.

Below left: Telegraphic I & II, right Landscape by John Ward (b.1935) John is based in the High Peak, Derbyshire and taught at Salford, Manchester and Stockport Colleges of Art and Design.

Telegraphic II, Susan Laughton, 2008

Below: second left Bickershaw No.4 by Roger Hampson (1925 - 1996) Hampson was born in Tyldesley near Wigan and is considered an important member of the Northern School. He taught at Bolton College of Art and Design and also worked as a graphic designer. Third from right: Sunlight and Mills by Rochadale born Harold Hemingway (1908 - 1976)