Since childhood, I have loved painting and drawing. I took art classes and later learned painting fundamentals from artists like Vilen Barsky, Boris Rapoport, Mikhail, and Anatoly Turovsky, as well as in college. In 5th grade, I watched a series of French documentaries about the Impressionists at a Kyiv movie theater. Captivated by the vibrant colors, emotions, and rebellious spirit of the art, I found my passion in painting. At the same time, I developed an interest in graphic design, heavily influenced by my father, Solomon Brodsky, a prominent graphic designer who taught me the craft, a laconic style, and how to find simple yet sophisticated solutions.
I graduated from The Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design in 1974 and began my professional journey as a Graphic and Multimedia Designer, and Creative Director in the Soviet Union, Italy, and the United States. After immigrating to America in 1990, I had less time for painting, but my passion for fine art remained. I often carried a small pocket camera to capture inspiring scenes as references for future paintings.
Having worked with professional photographers, I was familiar with photography, but I never considered it my primary form of expression until 2009, when my wife and I traveled to Israel. I became fascinated by candidly capturing people’s characters, moods, and expressions. This experience led me to re-discover photography as a new medium for artistic expression. Though I found this passion later in life, it became a continuation of my artistic desires, enriched by my life experiences.
For me, photography is not about recording surroundings but about discovering character and capturing emotional content. It must evoke feelings in the viewer—otherwise, it falls flat. Travel has provided much of my inspiration, showing that human emotions are universal across cultures.
I aim to create an atmosphere like that found in Anton Chekhov’s and J.D. Salinger’s short stories, where simple moments of everyday life are portrayed with humility, tolerance, and compassion. The strongest images come from capturing subjects unaware, absorbed in their own thoughts. By candidly documenting these ordinary unscripted moments, I try to reveal stories filled with emotion or mystery, elevating them beyond the ordinary. When photographing urban architecture, landscapes, animals, or old toys, I have a similar approach. My aim is not to simply record what I see but to intuitively reveal something beyond the visible.