Frederic Dams’ artwork can be found here in the Shop. Please note: actual prints will not include the Petrolicious watermark.
Turning cars, which I think it’s safe to say we’ve all collectively agreed are “rolling sculptures,” into a purely artistic medium is a difficult thing to pull off. To be more specific, it’s difficult thing to do well. You know, when the end result doesn’t look like something a nine-year-old would pick out from a selection of posters meant to be taped haphazardly on walls instead of framed and hung. These prints from Frederic Dams deserve to be behind glass and mounted on the wall using levels, tape measures, pencil marks, wall anchors—these high-energy renditions of motorsports’ champions are kinetic and convey panning-shot-style speed to bring out your inner child, but are tastefully portrayed with enough restraint in their colors and forms and use of space to impress your friends who can’t separate a 911 from a P4.
Of the new selection from Dams, we have a nice mix of thin, minimal, landscape-oriented prints like the 2.7 RS Touring and Brumos lineup, as well as the airborne Audi Quattro flying in front of a strake of color against a crisp white background that could either evoke snow or allow your imagination to fill in the crowds of San Remo. The array of Porsche’s first RS-variant 911 has a cool blend of repetition with the slightly different colorways of the Touring street model shown (the little “GB” sticker is a nice touch too), with a nice break in the mold (literally, look at those fenders!) coming at the end with the downright evil Brumos #59.
On the bolder side of his work we have the likes of the Lotus 49 and Ferrari P4, both venerable racing champions that Dams has recreated with powerful colors and energetic perspectives. These frame-filling cars also have a touch of Art Deco imbued in them, especially in the print of Jim Clark and his Lotus. Fitting for the period. The #224 Ferrari P3/4 was also piloted by some famed names, with Le Mans winners Nino Vaccarella and Ludovico Scarfiotti driving this car on the Targa Florio. Though not explicitly depicted, the warm colors from across the yellow-to-red spectrum at once blend the car into the background and hint at the warmth of Italy in springtime and the sandy, dusty route that these cars used to hurtle along, their power far exceeding the space by this point in the race’s timeline.
Similar in impression to the Ferrari and Lotus pieces, but different in execution, is the Martini-liveried Porsche 935. The sense of speed is still there, but there is a slight shift toward a bit more realism thanks to the hint of tarmac beneath the turbofan-shelled BBSes. The sharp lasers of color suggest the red and white curbing starting to bleed into a single pinkish streak as the turbo Porsche goes on to dominate another circuit race. The angle is just perfect too, with the already skewed-looking rear monstrous rear wing stretching up into the corner while the flat-nose front end homes in on the vanishing point.
And finally there is the 250 GTO. The reflection of sunlight against the in-motion Ferrari’s form is very “painterly,” and the print in its entirety looks more akin to something created during the GTO’s heyday. It’s very classic looking, and it reminds me of something you might find near a racetrack in an antique shop. The thick brushstroke style fits nicely with the sweeping but purposeful lines of the curvaceous Ferrari, and there is a neat balance struck here between stillness and speed; the car is clearly moving, but if you added some detail to the wire wheels it would look parked, looking all pretty as it basks in the sun at its back.
Frederic Dams’ artwork can be found here in the Shop. Please note: actual prints will not include the Petrolicious watermark.
