Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs

These days we are talking about environment and pollution in class. I want to show you an English artist who painted industrial landscapes. Maybe it was his way to report that progress is not always good for the environment.
The other special feature of this painter was his way of painting people and animals as matchsticks. So two singers wrote a song about him which became a big hit. I hope you find him interesting.

LS Lowry

Lawrence Stephen Lowry ( 1887 - 1976 ) was a famous English artist, who was born and lived for most of his life in Manchester . Lowry was famous for painting industrial scenes, and scenes of life in northern England during the early 20th century . He had a highly distinctive style of painting, which often involved "matchstick men" figures of distant people in industrial scenes, using drab colours.
Lowry was born into a poor working class family, and worked for many years as a rent collector and a cashier, painting in his spare time. His work only began to be appreciated by the wider art world towards the end of his life.
An art gallery called "The Lowry" centre was opened in Manchester in 2000 . Much of his work is displayed there.

Here are some of Lowry's paintings. Lowry died in 1976 and, a year later, the song "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs" was realeased by Brian and Michael. In February 1978 it reached no.1 in the charts and sold a total of 750,000 records.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

He painted Salford's smokey tops
On cardboard boxes from the shops
And parts of Ancoats where I used to play
I'm sure he once walked down our street
Cause he painted kids who had nowt on their feet
The clothes we wore had all seen better days.

Now they said his works of art were dull
No room, all round the walls are full
But Lowry didn't care much anyway
They said he just paints cats and dogs
And matchstalk men in boots and clogs
And Lowry said that's just the way they'll stay

And he painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
He painted kids on the corner of the street with the sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush and he waits outside them factory gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs

Now canvas and brushes were wearing thin
When London started calling him
To come on down and wear the old flat cap
They said tell us all about your ways
And all about them Salford days
Is it true you're just an ordinary chap

And he painted matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
He painted kids on the corner of the street with the sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush and he waits outside them factory gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs

Now Lowries hang upon the wall
Beside the greatest of them all
And even the Mona Lisa takes a bow
This tired old man with hair like snow
Told northern folk its time to go
The fever came and the good Lord mopped his brow

And he left us matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs
He left us kids on the corner of the street with sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush and he waits outside them pearly gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs