THG’s upcoming exhibition this May will showcase the work of James Ravilious, renowned photographer of rural life and one of Devon’s best-loved artists.
‘An English Eye’ will feature key photographic works chosen from a large retrospective show originally mounted for Ravilious by the Royal Photographic Society.
Through photographing the landscapes, seasons and people of a disappearing rural England, James Ravilious, son of famous artist, Eric Ravilious, became known as an intimate and sympathetic chronicler of rural Devon (1972-99).
With a painter’s eye for composition, Ravilious recorded over 80,000 compelling, tender photographs of the hardships and pleasures of farming communities in rural north Devon. Ravilious was drawn to photography by the great ‘decisive moment’ photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who sought to capture the perfect moment where time, subject and action collide. Ravilious, unlike Bresson, knew his subjects; they were his friends and his community.
The predominately black and white photographs reveal the inner narratives of his subjects. In the cow shed, farm kitchen, village hall, school, streets and meadows, Ravilious documented a passing age while re-evaluating pastoral myths. The rich tapestries of rural private and social life were his canvas.
The writer Alan Bennett famously commented ‘The warp and weft of the everyday. Ravilious was a compassionate witness of harsh country life’.
Coordinating events:
- Honiton Camera Club 60th Anniversary exhibition in the Upper Gallery.
- A Chronicle of Rural Life: talk by Robin Ravilious (wife of James Ravilious)
- Photographic walk on Dartmoor in the footsteps of Ravilious with photographer Nicky Thompson
- Dark Room workshop
Please take a look at our workshops and events for more details.
