Bringing together a range of works spanning 45 years, the exhibition highlights McFadyen’s passion for painting the overlooked margins of the modern city and its inhabitants as well as huge panoramic views of the natural world. The artist’s obsession however is always with the qualities of the painted surface, as is the case with LS Lowry.
In homage, McFadyen has also placed a number of works from The Lowry Collection next to his own pictures, prompting surprising visual connections and placing Lowry alongside contemporary urban landscapes.
Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “LS Lowry always made it very clear to anyone that asked that he painted what he saw – and he hated sentiment. McFadyen knows Lowry’s work intimately, and like Lowry, he has been fascinated by the people and streets often ignored by other artists. His work also captures the emotional force of monumentally empty landscapes – which makes this show a powerful experience.”