Photos of old vessels made at room in large format 4X5 inch in July 2002 for the occasion of the festival of boats in Douarnenez called The Great Armada.
This year the largest sailing ship was the Sedov of which has got four masts; it was a German ship before it becomes a Russian school ship that it is still now. The Osterchield, the Star and the Fox were on site, and also a multitude of small boats. All these old hulls have a charm like no other...
Brittany with sails and sailboats under an overcast but bright sky for a print on large format canvas. The gulls watch the boats, approach them and suddenly go away as if they were challenging the horizon. The sun shines and the wind blows the clouds which disperse and undulate. From Brest to Douarnenez the sea is dotted with ships, time is as stopped for this great procession, and the festival is in full swing.
The photographer goes from shot to shot in the middle of the rigs; he is entranced by this landscape of masts and ropes like so many lines and curves that punctuate the frame. The Recouvrance, the Fox, the Star or the Belle Poule, real jewels of the seas, made the heart of Brittany beat in summer 2002.
The Black and White draws the contours and the contrasts of the artist’s photo, the prows of skiffs like sketches sway on a shiny ocean. A beautiful light caresses the tops of masts and images from the past reflect into the clearness of the ocean.
Joel Vogt takes pictures in Black and White in order to forget the form and to keep only the content; he uses to do so the large format, thus he is in contact with the moment. The boats answer him in a symphony of noise and of nuances of gray, an enchantment... These are the sirens of the sea. The images overlap in unique Fine Art formats 120X150cm/170X220cm, an exceptional series! You can now offer yourself a canvas, a graphic jewel.