The book 'An English Eye' shows his work well and also explains his working methods and influences. This shows how photographers are influenced by earlier photographers (and other visual artists), and how their materials, technique and equipment have an impact on the types of pictures they make.
He photographed rural life and the countryside of north Devon, showing an environment and way of life that was slowly changing and disappearing. He wanted to show the facts of the place, but also wanted to show it as a place of traditions and living history.
He didn't start out as a photographer, but as a painter, and was strongly influenced by his father, the engraver Eric Gill. He was also visually influenced by the engraver, Samuel Palmer whose work shows a very perfect idea of the English countryside.
He discovered photography when he saw an exhibition of photographs by Henri Cartier Bresson, and this suddenly alerted him to the possibility of photographing the world around him.
He wanted to take photographs of every-day life, like Cartier Bresson did, and he wanted the pictures to have a similar, silvery quality that engravings had. He developed, by trial-and-error and experimentation, a technique of shooting against the light with a lens that had a home-made hood to reduce flare and ghosting. This would normally produce pictures that are silhouetted - the main subject would be dark. So he learned that if you take an exposure reading from the shadows, but reduce the amount of time developing the film, it is possible to keep image detail in both shadow and highlight. This is the same technique that Ansel Adams developed - the zone system.
This technique allowed him to produce highly distinctive and very attractive pictures that reflected his way of seeing the countryside, as silvery and full of light.
One of his photographs was entitled 'Oak Tree, after Mondrian' which indicates other visual influences; and he knew the work of Edwin Smith, who in turn was influenced by Eugene Atget, and this leads you to the work of Bernice Abbott...
And that is how research can work - leading you from one fascinating photographer or painter to another.
Here are some links related to James Ravilious and his influences.
Ravilious links:
James Ravilious-
Documentary film:
http://www.jamesravilious.com/gallery.asp
You tube video “silver water colour”
Photo influences:
HCB – surrealism and decisive moment
Edwin Smith – ‘evocations of place’
Telegraph article –
Eugene Atget –
Bernice Abbott –
Mondrian’s tree:
Samual Palmer-
Eric Ravilious-
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