I'm in overload - the BBC at its best

North Devon - James Ravilious

What a night of programmes...what a night.  Last night was photography night on BBC4 and we were treated to some first rate documentaries.   This was on top of the rerun of the excellent series of Genius of Photography.   This was so much information I was in overload.

• Jacques Henri Lartigue: The Boy who Never Grew Up - still available on iPlayer
  
• James Ravilious: A World in Photographs - still available on iPlayer
  
• The Photographer, his Wife, her Lover
  
• ROBERT CAPA: IN LOVE AND WAR
  
• The Lost Pictures of Eugene Smith
  

I have to say it was all too much for me to take in at one sitting so I have several hours to work through on the Sky+ box over the next week.  The favourite programme that I watched last night was the James Ravilious documentary.   His photographs were superb, I have already mentioned my appreciation of his father's paintings in previous blogs. I also found the characters reminiscent of people I knew when I was growing up.  It is a cliche but they really don't make them like that anymore.   This was the BBC at its best.

Interest from further afield

I always assumed that the main readers of this random collection of thoughts about the passage of my life were fellow students on my course and assorted friends and family.   It seems that I have started making very small strides the world beyond.  Over the pas week I have had comments from Edar Vazquez and an anonymous blog from the Mainstone Press.  May I say hello and welcome and your comments about Eric Ravilious, Paul Nash and my photography.   I wonder how far further this will go?   Only time will tell.  Now if only I could work out how they found my blog in the first place.  Perhaps if they read this they might like to leave a comment to let me know.

Paul Nash

Wood on the Downs

Whilst wandering around the highways and byways of the internet whilst trying to find more on Eric Ravilious I cam across Paul Nash.   Now I was aware, a little, of Nash's work but having looked at his painting again I find myself being drawn to them.  Both Nash and Ravilious were WW2 official artists, what a wonderful idea; commission artists to record their impressions of the conflagration going on all around them.   Anyway, I will continue to research both artists and others that I come across as it is fascinating to look at how other people see the world and no doubt some of this will rub of on my work.

Eric Ravilious

The Wilmington Giant, 1939 - Eric Ravilious

V&A museum

I discovered Eric Ravilious yesterday and I have to say I find his images fascinating.  I love the stylistic approach to his landscapes, the strong lines and powerful use of very dark and black in line with how my landscapes are developing at the moment.   I always find it exciting to discover a new artist that motivates you - and Ravilious certainly does that at the moment.  The sad thing, of course, is that his images capture the 1930's and the darkening skies of the approaching war which took his life in 1942.  I must find out more about this artist.