<p>From childhood Jonathan Glancey has been fascated by the work John Gay, the German-born photographer whose objective eye ught the spir of London and a untry transn</p>
Contents:
- JOHN GAY OBUARY
- JOHN GAY: LONDON PTURED THROUGH A LENS
- APRIL : THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF JOHN GAY
- JOHN GAY RETROSPECTIVE
JOHN GAY OBUARY
* john gay photographer *
The photographer, garner and potter John Gay, who has died aged 89, had an unassumg disposn, which ncealed the range and pth of his artistry even om many of those who knew him his photographic work was black and whe. John Betjeman scribed him as one of his favoure photographers, and together they published London's Historic Railway Statns (1972) which Gay's pictur of statn ironwork were an outstandg feature. Shortly before he died 1999, the photographer John Gay sent me a pair of prts he'd taken of Le Corbier's pilgrimage chapel at Ronchamp the Hte-Saône.
This send shot is both funny and movg: funny bee om some aspects the chapel do remble an outsized wimple; movg bee is also a eply spirual buildg, and the nun Gay's picture nveys a sense of serene spirualy. Both pictur are black-and-whe – Gay never shot lour – and I'm lookg at them while I wre this my study at photographs mean a lot to me, as om early childhood I'd been ptivated by Gay's work.
Gay was rerdg a way of life that was vanishg almost as fast as he uld prs the shutter releas of his large-format meras. I was given a brand new py of Gay's magil London's Historic Railways Statns (1972) wrten by John Betjeman. Perhaps Gay's perspective was so particular bee he was not origally om this untry.
JOHN GAY: LONDON PTURED THROUGH A LENS
Gay was born Hans Gohler, Karlshe, southwt Germany, 1909. Upon arrivg England, he took an adopted name om the 18th-century poser John Gay, most famo for his Beggar's Opera, a wickedly satiril portra of polil and social rptn.
Gay worked for Strand and Country Fair magaz, producg fe portras as well as rerdg everyday English untry scen. When John Gay’s substantial llectn was bequeathed to the NMR, was immediately apparent that here was an important photographer who had been overlooked by postery. John Gay (1909-99) was one of a generatn of German émigrés who ma an immense ntributn to Brish culture and amic life, and at the height of his reer he was one of the most rpected photographers the untry.
Andrew set about to tablish John Gay’s rightful place photographic history. 29 January 2009: For 60 years, photographer John Gay ptured the reali of daily English life.