Station Approach

About the work

The Mancunian band Elbow recorded a song named Station Approach, partly inspired by this painting. It is about the lead singer Guy Garvy’s excitement at coming home on the train to the station in Manchester. Lowry, a lover of trains and a dedicated Mancunian, one feels, would have approved. The station depicted in the picture has been demolished and the city centre has changed from the simple charm of Lowry’s vision. The slightly cockeyed perspective and overlarge train make this one of Lowry’s more naive paintings. Although he became a guest lecturer at the Slade School of Art and his favourite artist was the highly polished and romantic Gabrielle Rosetti, Lowry remained resolutely childish in his depiction of scenes throughout his career, often saying “I only paint what I see, you know”. Published by the Adam collection and