Ian Berry

Ian Berry 

Ian Berry is a Magnum photographer who spent over ten years travelling the world, including moving to both Africa and Paris. After this period of time, he decided he wanted to photograph something closer to home to remind him of what it's really like in England, to rediscover the essence of the English. He said “It seemed like a good idea to do something on the English before my eyes got too jaded” (1)

After becoming the first contracted photographer for the Observer in the sixties, in 1972 Berry was commissioned by the Whitechapel Gallery to show the world what their local area was like in the form of photography. After the success of these images, he was the first ever to be awarded the Arts Council Award Bursary which allowed him to travel all over the UK to continue his work.  (1)

Influenced by 'The Americans' by Robert Frank (1958), which painted America in a somewhat bad light yet showed the world 'the truth', Berry wanted to do something similar. However, even after being so inspired by the work he most certainly wasn't up to painting the English in the same light; "I thought he had been a little bit unkind to the Americans … I didn’t want to be that unkind to the Brits.”  (1)

And thus, his book and series 'The English' was born.

While I found all of the book rather interesting, especially looking back at Suffolk during 1975 because of my close relationship with the county, what most caught my eye was his images of horses. He demonstrates the celebratory events of horse races, such as in images '29. Newmarket Races, Cambridgeshire' and '39.Royal Ascot Races' with smartly dressed middle aged men and women looking rather smug with themselves. We see booking information and forms in hands, and a narrative starts forming. 

This is '29. Newmarket Races, Cambridgeshire' Within this image, I see two men dressed up for the event in a smart manner, looking at a slightly elderly woman. With smiles all round, it's possible a win has been claimed or perhaps they're simply excited for the race to start. The men seem oblivious to the camera, as one places his hand on the lady's shoulder, a possible sign of 'well done' or maybe just trying to get her attention. She looks towards them with her back facing them, almost smirking, giving the atmosphere a very lighthearted and joyful mood. This to me highlights how the sport of horse racing can make others feel so good, a feel of community. It's clear these people are well off (bowler hats, broaches, earrings and smart suits)and perhaps those of a lower class wouldn't have been able to experience this at all, and so the image has a slight theme of class divide; we're shown how the other half live. Perhaps this is what Berry meant when he stated he didn't want to be unkind to the English, and so he showed the more glorious parts. This is supported by the fact his image is well exposed; there's no overexposure or flash to create an ugly look, however nor is there a remarkable underexposure, indicating that this is the truth untouched. 

Something that catches the eye, however, is the horse in the background seemingly pulling away from it's owner. This creates almost a tension between the two moods within the photo, between the people and the horse. The horse isn't enjoying itself at that time, however the people have their backs turned to struggle and continue to be entertained regardless. To me, this clearly shows how some prefer to overlook the struggles that others go to through and instead enjoy their happiness even if that means making others struggle even more. In that sense, perhaps there was a message of class divide in their from Berry himself.

Then, if we look at '26. Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire' we see something completely different. It seems to be a behind the scenes of a race.

We see a horse trainer bent over, observing. He looks as if he's getting ready, or perhaps it's the relief of after a race. The way we're not sure about the context is what makes it all so interesting; it leads our minds to wonder and create a narrative from a single photograph. 

We can certainly tell that the shutter speed was reasonable low for the motion blur on the horse, however there's a chance that this was not an accident and is there to serve the purpose of demonstrating how swift and busy the life of a horse and it's trainers, riders and carers is.

With their smart clothes it's presumed that this man is reasonably well off; the polished shoes, the fitted jacket, which contrasts to what the man leading the horse wears, which seems a lot less formal. Again, this shows class divide but perhaps isn't an overpowering theme.

I really like the work of Ian Berry, especially with horses. It shows multiple sides of owning a horse, and doesn't particularly glorify it.

With my own work, I'd like to do the same. I will therefore aim to take photographs with a more 'beautiful' and delicate look, and others which show how cruel and undesirable the work can be.


Sources:

1. The English, 1978, Ian Berry