In 1983 the National Games were held in Shanghai, and Gérard Rancinan had the incredible opportunity to observe from up close the Chinese athletes preparing for the Olympics. In stadiums and training camps, he captured the expression of pain and physical effort, the grace and beauty of bodies moving through air and water. These portraits of “timid, hesitant, febrile future champions,” as he called them, would earn Rancinan the first of his six World Press Photo Awards.
A photographer from the Agence France Presse told me one day that the secret to sports photography was anticipation. A good photographer should be familiar with the disciplines he or she covers, whether it’s on the track or in the pool, and be able to anticipate the potential winner, to follow him, and seize the crucial moment in a competition, capturing the instant of joy or sadness. Gérard Rancinac is not only an expert of anticipation. He also uses his photographic assignments to observe the world and reflect on the changes of society at large. His vision of China in 1983 would serve as a kind of preparation, a warm-up, for the development of his future in photography, regardless of subject. From his reports on Scottish castles, celebrity portraits and cinematic fashion photography, Rancinan’s work remained faithful to his beginnings in social and politically engaged photography.
Read the full article on the French version of L’Oeil de la Photographie.
EXPHIBITION
Rancinan China 83: Out of the blocks!
From September 20th to December 20th 2014
Beaugeste Gallery
200025 Lane 210 Taikang Road,
Building 5, Studio 519
Shanghai, 200025
China
