Alexander Gronsky

Courtesy INSTITUTE / © Alexander Gronsky

Estonian Photographer | Born: 1980

Alexander Gronsky was born in 1980 in Tallinn, Estonia. He moved to Russia in 2006 and he became member of the Photographer.Ru agency in 2004. His works have been published in numerous international newspapers and magazines, such as The Sunday Times, Esquire, Le Monde 2, Vanity Fair, Spiegel, Bolshoy Gorod, Ojode Pez. He was awarded the Aperture Portfolio Prize in 2009, the Foam Paul Huf Award in 2010 and the World Press Photo 3rd place for Daily Life stories in 2012. Alexander Gronsky is represented by Agency.Photographer.Ru and Gallery.Photographer.Ru.
Alexander Gronsky has joined INSTITUTE for Artist Management in 2012.

About Pastoral
In his photographic account Pastoral, Alexander Gronsky portrays the outskirts of Moscow: the places where humanity takes refuge to find solace far from the cities, colliding with urban expansion and frailty of nature. The space explored lives �in between�, suspended in the nothingness of the unknown and what stands �on the other side�. Gronsky is a landscape photographer with an incredibile ability to capture natural scenes with an allegorical meaning: expanses and hills, spectacular lights, broad horizons. His skilful use of perspective and his ability in composition, lead the observer�s eye deeply into the landscape, generating a sense of astonishment for every place portrayed in photo. In the images, human presence is constant, Gronsky looks for infrequent but precious moments of relief and diversion in woody areas and open beaches, in remote corners and common meeting places. Meanwhile, he always bears in mind the proximity of the big city: glimpses of skyscrapers and industrial parks can be seen in the distance between the trees or, sometimes, surprisingly close to the people �surrounded by nature�. (Source: www.contrastobooks.com)

Agencies:

INSTITUTE

Photographer.Ru

Gallery:

Polka Galerie

Website:

www.alexandergronsky.com

Selected Work:

Selected Books:

Pastoral

Author: Alexander Gronsky

Publisher: Contrasto

Year: 2014 - Pages: 112

In this photographic account, Alexander Gronsky portrays the outskirts of Moscow: the places where humanity takes refuge to find solace far from the cities, colliding with urban expansion and frailty of nature.

Contact Sheet 166

Author: Alexander Gronsky

Publisher: Lightwork

Year: 2012 - Pages: 46

Contact Sheet 166 features landscape photographs by Alexander Gronsky that were taken along the outlying areas of Moscow. Gronsky captures scenes in nature as elegant allegories that include rolling hills, spectacular lighting, and far reaching horizons. His skilled use of perspective and composition, reminiscent of centuries-old traditions in European landscape painting, draw the viewer's eye deep into the landscape and generate a sense of awe for each place. Gronsky's images follow city dwellers as they seek out urban hinterlands for precious moments of leisure. The people in his images seek sun. They yearn for tranquility. And they especially hope for an escape into nature, away from the stresses of day-to-day life, away from the city. Within the constancy of human presence, Gronsky photographs recreational moments deep in forested areas or open beaches, in secluded niches or general gathering places. Meanwhile, he never loses sight of the proximity of big city life. Glimpses of high rises and industrial parks can be seen at some distance through the trees or sometimes in surprisingly close proximity to the people in their leisurely pursuits. While Gronsky's photographic style is consistently pristine, the stretches of nature in his images are not. These are places where rural areas are being taken over by urban sprawl and industrialization, and where the state of the land varies between idyllic vibrance and careless neglect. Regardless of the state of each site, Gronsky's aesthetic commitment never waivers. He simply observes those seeking respite in nature and the impact the encroaching cities have had on the land. In the end, the series' title Pastoral may refer equally to the artist's own yearning to find something timeless and wholesome in every place as it does to the city dwellers' hope for the perfect spot in the sun.

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