A Manchester Street

John Bold, 1895 - 1979


A Manchester Street

John Bold 1895 - 1979

Summary

A view of a Manchester Street scene, a pink street depicting 1941- brick wall and houses. A Manchester Street shows a narrow cul-de-sac with a brick air-raid shelter in the centre and is an extemely rare view of a Manchester street during the Second World War. The painting was made in Bold's attic studio at 111 Grosvenor street, Manchester, over studios in the same building formerly used by Adolphe Valette and another Manchester artist, Henry Vitofski. Both the studios and air-raid shelter have since been demolished. The pinkish-red house, which is intended to suggest the city alight following a German bombing raid, gives the scene an unusually threatening and surreal atmosphere. The strong, geometric design of the composition and carucature-like elements, especially the tiny figure peeping out of a front door, relate this painting to those of LS Lowry who is strongly represented in the Gallery's collection.

Display Label

A Manchester Street 1941 John Bold 1895 – 1979 oil on canvas A bomb shelter with a flat concrete roof squats in the middle of an urban street. Is it burning buildings that have turned the air pink? No flames or destruction are visible: an unseen threat hovers over the street, and the shelter blocks escape as much as offering refuge. Purchased 2008.245


Object Name

A Manchester Street

Creators Name

John Bold

Date Created

1941

Dimensions

framed: 72.8 x 62.9

accession number

2008.245

Medium


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