August 06, 2020
A Russian-born and New York-based contemporary artist, Alexander Rees is known for vibrant brushwork and spatially open and airy compositions. A truly multi-talented individual, Rees is also a professional musician and a highly regarded teacher.
Celebrating the beauty of the cities in all seasons of the year, his works are characterized by a beautiful blending and mixing of the colors. His works have been described as wonderfully scenic, imbued with atmospheric moods and feelings.
Left: Alexander Rees - Old Moscow / Right: Alexander Rees - Once Upon a Time
The Career of Alexander Rees
Born in Moscow, Alexander Rees graduated from a very prestigious Gnesin Institute, one of the world’s most prominent music conservatories, and performed widely throughout Russia and Europe as a soloist, conductor, and chamber musician. He later obtained his Doctorate and became a professor of viola and chamber music at the same institute, where he trained hundreds of students. In 1993, he immigrated to New York City, continuing his music career as a solo and chamber musician as well as an orchestra player.
Drawn to art as a teenager, Rees has spent his life producing sketches and paintings, however, hidden from the public for many years. After publishing a book Moscow-New York-Moscow, which highlights his large series of landscapes of these two great cities, the artist decided to open his work to the public for viewing.
Alexander Rees - Creation
A Multifaceted Practice
Masterfully executed, intuitively beautiful, full of life, color, and creative energy, the works of Alexander Rees combine a range of influence. Continuously evolving, his aesthetic has progressed from some of his earlier cityscapes series, where the artist used predominantly realistic style, to later explorations of different styles, including Abstract expressionism and Surrealism.
Combining many elements of abstraction, symbolism, and surrealism, the work Creation is a perfect example of his multifaceted interests. The artist himself explained:
"It evokes raw emotions of a creative process, whether positive or negative, highlighting the duality of light and darkness, joy and sorrow, success and failure, our inner fears and inspirations brought together by the beauty of music and strength of faith."
Left: Alexander Rees - Moscow Street, 2013 / Right: Alexander Rees - Riverside Drive New York
Featured image: Alexander Rees - Boulevard, New York series.
All images courtesy of Artios Gallery.