Alexei Butirskiy is a classically trained artist, who received his MFA in 1998 from the Ilya Glazunov Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, one of the most prestigious art universities in the world.
Alexei’s favorite subjects are urban landscapes depicting daily city life without pathos or embellishment. The strength and intensity of the play of light and shadow are the expressive means by which Butirskiy’s works glow from within and demonstrate a unique virtuoso use of chiaroscuro.
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Most recently, Alexei has concentrated his efforts primarily on representing urban life around him in truthful and unglorified terms. A sense of tranquility is conveyed in each of his paintings. They are typically without the action of conviviality and most are uncannily still, with only light, space, shadows, and color offering dialog. The power and intensity of the relationship between light and dark are the profound forces of his work. The sophisticated application of light effects with color reinforces the majesty of his compositions. Butirskiy’s paintings are reminiscent of the works of Claude de Lorraine and Caravaggio with their luminescent qualities and skillful variations of light and dark. Alexei Butirskiy’s ability to combine architecture, color, and format is a refined skill normally reserved for artists much his senior. As a result, he ranks among Russia’s top emerging artists. His work has been successfully exhibited in galleries and private collections through France, England, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, and the United States.
