Arthur Delaney

Arthur McEvoy Delaney (b. 9 December 1927, Chorlton upon Medlock, Manchester - 1987) was an English painter whose scenes of Manchester life were influenced by those of L.S. Lowry, gaining some popularity since his death.

Born in the centre of Manchester to dancer Genevieve Willis (also known as Delaney / Kelshaw), he is alleged to be the illegitimate son of comedian Frank Randle (Arthur McEvoy).

At 13 years of age he joined a Textile design studio in Manchester where he worked for the next 32 years. He married his childhood sweetheart and they had four children. He started to paint as a means of relaxation. There were two great influences in his life that were to effect his own development as a painter. One was the work of L.S. Lowry and the other the memories of the happy years he spent as a boy in the Manchester of the 1930's with it's smoke laden skies, rattling tramcars and gas lamps.

Lowry's work made him aware of the many special qualities of the north and soon he began producing street scenes and industrial landscapes. His paintings were not stylised but a true likeness to their location. He set out to capture the atmosphere of the 1930's and all of his paintings capture the nostalgia of the period.

In April 1974 he a very successful one man show at the Tib Lane Gallery in Manchester, with all the pictures selling within half and hour at the preview. He paintings continued to sell well during his lifetime and he exhibited at the Royal Academy. Many of his paintings were produced as limited edition prints.

External links

* [http://www.originalpaintings.com/arthur_delaney.htm Examples of Delaney's work at originalpaintings.com]
* [http://www.delaceyfineart.co.uk/Delaney.htm Examples of Delaney's work at delaceyfineart.co.uk]
* [http://www.clark-art.co.uk/pages/thumbnails/96.html Examples of Delaney's work at clark-art.co.uk]