Boris Alekseev Biography

Boris Alekseev belongs to the generation of artists who happily preserved the gift of poetic vision. He does not offer an impassive description, his talent is one of innate vision. Coloristically complex solutions are not the most important thing for the painter. His works, be they landscapes, portraits or genre paintings, seek as essential the veracity of what is captured, the principle of observation, the lively movement of the brush. Boris Alekseev was born in a small town in Voronezh, in the heart of Russia. There he began his artistic path. His beginner works immediately attracted the attention of the famous patriarch of painting, Kotliarov, Alekseev continued his artistic studies at the Institute of Fine Arts. Among the earliest motifs of his studies are the nature of Russia, the stars of the Don River, the warm light of the moon, blurred autumn roads with traces of melting snow or green meadows to the horizon... Usually, these sketches and sketches They later become serious completed works. Thus, the sketches “On the Don” with their images of the river at dawn and dusk, golden colors of the water and sky, a small boat lost on the surface of the great river, end up forming a mature painting that later appears in the most prestigious Moscow exhibitions. . “Dusk on the Don” is part of the exhibition of the main exhibition hall in Moscow and is acquired by the Fund of the Ministry of Culture of Russia. The fate of Boris Alekseev is shaped in a not very usual way. From the shy lyrical beauty of Russia to the exhibition of the tropical colors of Madagascar, Polynesia, Africa……. From the banks of the Russian river, destiny will allow Alekseev to sail thousands of ocean miles in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean.

In 1979, the XIV International Oceanological Congress took place in Russia. As a participating painter, Alekseev is part of the Oceanological scientific expedition. Along with the expedition, the artist sailed thousands of miles across the oceans. In extraordinary conditions, a series of portraits of Russian and foreign ocean scientists, of native islanders, colorful landscapes full of tropical light and mainly different faces of ocean nature were born. Alekseev's works in the southern parallels of the planet are marked by real experiences in the new worlds, deep understanding of their particularity and beauty. The paintings “The cloud in the mirror of the ocean” and “Catamaran in the lagoon” reflect Madagascar and Polynesia. Exquisite and fine painting is not the goal of the artist. The state of peace, the atmosphere of light and sun is what he transmits with a firm and light brushstroke. But “Sunset in Madagascar”, island of fire, arrows burning behind the dark silhouette of the mountains, carries a different informative intensity. Of special interest is Alekseev's cycle of works from Papua New Guinea, Bongu Village, where more than a century ago the Russian scientist N.N. lived and worked. Miklujo-Maklai. Among other members of the expedition who dared to land on the coast named after Miklujo-Maklai was the painter Alekseev. Its difficult-to-compare cycle was carried out in a region with a bad reputation for cannibalism. “One from the Gongú village,” “A young aboriginal in ritual costume,” “Bongu Village at noon” make up the series of pencil drawings dedicated to the life and customs of the islanders. This series has not only aesthetic but also ethnographic value. Perfect mastery of techniques and media, whether watercolor, oil, pastel, pencil or others, allows the artist to create an enormous number of sketches and studies, including “The Face of the Ocean,” in its changing states. The sketch “Dawn in the Ocean” has some fine flashes of color; The painting “The Mystery”, with a band of fish, as if flying in the greenish silence, with the silhouette of a sunken ship, does not need special explanations. The painter's works are distinguished by their simplicity and complexity at the same time, they are personal and unique. The Sketch “Pearly Bay. Madagascar". This small canvas acquires, thanks to the author's light brushstrokes, a sensation of purity of light and florescence of air. The “Sunset in Madagascar” cake burns with tropical colors. The artist's oceanic works have no analogues in art. The general public discovered Boris Alekseev in the rooms of the Central House of the Painter in Moscow. In his works from the late period the artist exchanges reality for fantasy. Thus, in the painting “Stepan Razin”, made by Alekseev in his studio in the Caucasus, the painter recreates the image of the Russian popular hero sailing along the Volga, the Russian mother river. The decorative and monumental solution adds an epic element to the painting. Along with monumentalist works Alekseev creates chamber works. In them, as in his early works, the lyrical vision of everyday things is always present. There is not a single drop of indifference in all of his work. The still life “Spring” was created in his studio in the Caucasus. It is a simple bouquet of flowers in a tender atmosphere, embroidered with light.

Boris Alekseev works with different techniques, varying dense matter and subtle transparency. The basis of all his works is a large amount of work, a festive vision of reality, impeccable coloring, technical professionalism and complete study of the object of the work. One of his last paintings, “The Portrait of the Wife in the Garden” carries a diversity of shades of green, a warm and loving southern light. During the last few years the painter has worked more expressively, more assiduously, as if wanting to achieve what he thought. Apparently, the personalities with the most emotional talent tend to predict the future... In 1994 Alekseev and his family, Maria Plakhova, his wife, and Natalia Kirillova, his daughter, both painters as well, are planning a trip to Spain, a country that the artist glimpsed like a mirage. on the way through Gibraltar towards the Indian Ocean. The painting “Fantasy of the never-before-seen bullfight” corresponds to that period of dreams of knowing Spain. But fate decides otherwise. In the Caucasian study of him, literally with the brush in his hand he loses consciousness. On May 20, 1994, the Russian painter emeritus died of apoplexy without ever having known Spain. His family was only able to get a small part of his work out of Russia…. Many of his works are in Russian museums and private collections.

Boris Alekseev´s Biography