LOWRY AND VALETTE: PAINTERS OF MANCHESTER

At the beginning of the 20th century, Adolphe Valette blew into the Manchester School of Art like a breath of fresh air, inspiring his students with his French elegance and his knowledge of the latest developments in Paris - one of those students was L S Lowry. Until recently, this charismatic teacher was largely forgotten, and his pupil often dismissed as a naïve Sunday painter. This lecture explores their artistic journeys and the fascinating insight that their works give us into life in the city.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Mrs Julia Marwood

Julia has loved looking at art since discovering the work of Gustav Klimt while teaching English in Austria as part of her German degree course at the University of Durham. She spent the first part of her career teaching German, then did a Master’s in Teaching English at the University of Manchester, and went on to teach international students in the city. She became a tour guide at Manchester Art Gallery and knew at once that this was what she really wanted to do, spending every spare moment learning about art history. She eventually left language teaching in 2018 and since then has loved spending all her time sharing her passion for art as a speaker to many different groups. She became an Accredited Lecturer of The Arts Society in 2020, specialising in Scottish art from 1880 and the art of Manchester. She and her astronomer husband love to travel around Europe and take every opportunity to visit art galleries wherever they go, but Scotland has always been their favourite destination!