Dancing Wave
Patricia Lascabannes
2014
15 prints on Alu Dibond, direct print:
4 prints 150 cm x 70 cm
5 prints 100 cm x 50 cm
6 prints 75 cm x 30 cm
“Dancing Wave” from the series “Eaux – Mer” (Water – Sea) is a photo by Patricia Lascabannes, which shows a hull in agitated water. The waves are reflected in the red, blue and white surface of the boat. The hull is cutting the picture plane almost diagonally and dominates the upper left photo triangle in clear lines. Particularly imminent its lower red part, which enters the white blue shades like a wedge. Moreover, there is the contrast between the smooth surface of the boat and the troubled sea foam.
The irregular crests of the waves pass the lower image plane diagonally or slightly slanting from left to right. Then they meet the hull with its almost vertical lines. All culminates in an intense white crest at the bow at the right upper image edge: the dancing wave. However, this is not a stopping point: in the background, there is a fragment of the wide sea visible. All these elements give the selected picture section a great dynamic. Even though, embedded in the rectangular frame, one could feel the forward movement.
Patricia shot the photo in a moment, when one could imagine the movements before and after. This might be easy in a situation of sailing the sea. Nevertheless, the composition and the picture section have to be chosen in the right instant to catch the best expression of the drive, to illustrate the fruitful moment, as Lessing demanded in his Laocoon essay in 1766.
“Dancing wave” with its illustrated agitation is typical for Patricia’s photos. Nevertheless, most of her pictures include the upper ship superstructures, sails and sometimes even the crew. Here we have only the by human hand constructed boat exposed to the forces of nature. In addition, the prominent part of the red wedge is untypical in her work. Often her nautical photos are in black and white or dominated by the sea’s colours, sometimes accentuated by coloured elements. Due to the concentration on water and hull, Patricia creates a nearly abstract dynamic.
Patricia Lascabannes
Born 1962 in Bordeaux (France), Patricia was fascinated by photography at the early age of 12. Nevertheless, at that time she didn’t think of making her passion a profession. First, she worked in various domains. It was in 1989, when she arrived at the Côte d’Azur, her vocation called her. She had the opportunity to photograph concerts at the Festival de Jazz in Juan-les-Pins and the International Cannes Film Festival.
The Régates Royal in Cannes 1990 showed her the specific direction. First, absolutely unfamiliar to the nautical world, Patricia fell in love with classic sailing boats. This passion was confirmed during different regional regattas and in particular at the “Nioulargue” in the Gulf of St Tropez. She had as well the chance to take pictures in other areas of the Mediterranean, in the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Besides, she undertook several journeys into the Algerian desert.
Patricia cooperates with many specialised journals, creates books, calendars and makes editions of her photos finding their admirers around the world. She had exhibitions and participated in photograph festivals in France but also in Antigua (West Indies). During her career, she was awarded by being selected to provide the photos for several posters of regattas, inter alia in 2009 for the Régates Royal in Cannes, 19 years after her first steps into the nautical world. In 2015, she was photographer of the year, selected by the AFYT (Association Française des Yacht de Tradition/French Association for Classic Yachts) with a photo of a regatta at the coast of Menton (France), showing in the background an impressive forest fire. Once again, she had the intuition to shoot in the right moment. Her next solo exhibition “Eaux – Mer” will be at the Hôtel Royal of Antibes (France), starting in October 2018. Our artwork of the month September 2018 will be presented in the context of the name giving series.
Although Patricia’s primary focus is the maritime photography, she shot portraits, cars, domestic interiors, landscapes and plants. All these photos have in common, that her professional eye guides her to find the right picture section with the best lightning. In the moving world, she finds the right moment to express the atmosphere of the situation. When she introduces coloured elements, they accentuate the composition.
Patricia lives and works in Vallauris, France.