John Gay 1909-1999

John Gay emigrated to England from Germany in 1935.
His preferred themes were light and shade, animals and children, informal shots of ordinary peoples, work and leisure, rural subjects, modern architecture and London.


He makes a good comparison with Bresson. He was working at the same time, in black and white, and was a great observer and catcher of the 'decisive moment'. His images are so quintessentially English though. Indeed he worked with the British poet John Betjeman who himself has been credited with capturing the essence of 'Britishness'. Perhaps a fore runner of Martin Parr?