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This collection of images draws inspiration from the renowned painter Edgar Degas and his iconic paintings of dancers. Degas’s talent was to capture the essence of hard work, discipline, dedication, and preparation that his subjects embodied quite like a modern times street photographer. Through his compositions and thanks to his technique, viewers could almost smell the room, imagine the music, and feel the energy within those rooms. The anonymity of his dancers allowed them to transcend time, becoming symbols of grace and beauty.
On the occasion of the 2023 Coupe de Printemps, an international event held annually at the end of March at the Kockelsheuer ice rink in Luxembourg, I playfully challenged myself to capture the spirit and energy of ice skaters inspired by Degas’ impressionistic ability to freeze moments in time. Hence, the title of this collection, Degas’s Skaters. I was not particularly interested in the skaters’ technical skills or athletic gestures. I preferred to depict the story behind the skating figures, the focus, concentration, preparation, and emotions that accompany the skaters up to until those few intense (and incredibly fast) minutes.
The images in this collection are the result of intense work done in a very short time. On the first night of the event, I came down with a bad case of the flu, which kept me in bed for a week and prevented me from fully immersing myself in the competition and following the skaters as I had originally planned. During those few hours at the ice rink, I experimented with different focal lengths, shutter speeds, and lenses, ranging from a long telephoto lens to the Zenit 50mm. My aim was to find the the ideal balance of aperture, depth of field and shutter speed that would enhance the skaters’ joyful yet painfully controlled and crafted figures, much like Degas’ depiction of his dancers. I followed the skaters as they prepared, warmed up, trained and competed. I am extremely grateful to the many skaters and their teams, as well as the organisers of the competition, who graciously allowed me to get close and sneak around them. I met nice and open people, most of them quite fascinated by my extravagant project, but willing to help.
Each photograph in this collection has been developed to emphasise the graceful movements and dynamic forms of the skaters. I tried to emphasise the fundamental essence of the art of ice skating itself, while deliberately drawing attention away from individual identities. Each image served as an exploration of form and movement, a visual narrative that sought to convey the profound beauty and quintessence of the ice-skating experience. In undertaking this ambitious project, I propose a contemporary interpretation of Degas’ iconic “street” painting style, infusing it with the vibrancy, the hard work and the artistry of the ice rink.
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