Undoubtedly, the most popular picture of the marine painter is "The Ninth Wave" (1850), Now this canvas is kept in the Russian Museum. Perhaps, the romantic nature of the artist is most strongly conveyed in it.

The raging ocean, a group of sailors yearning for salvation on the wreckage of the masts ... And the first morning rays of the sun, giving hope for the best. Aivazovsky seems to be saying: “Look what these people had to endure, what a wreck their ship suffered.” He depicts the courage of sailors against the backdrop of radiant waves and strong winds. The picture is full of light, heat and air. The painter did not spare bright colors and fully expressed the full power of both the water element and people.

"Sea. Koktebel"- one of the most beautiful paintings by Aivazovsky, filled with the luxury of bright colors.

On it, the artist depicted his homeland, Feodosia, where he spent the best years of his life. This work is kept in the Aivazovsky Art Gallery in the same resort town of Ukraine. A sophisticated combination of orange, pink, lilac flowers give this picture a unique warmth. The gentle sky, conveyed in the mother-of-pearl of the sunset, is intertwined with light waves. Thanks to this, the picture plays, it exudes vitality, the unusual captivating beauty of the Black Sea. Here Ivan Aivazovsky achieved the true mastery of the marine painter.

In 1848, Aivazovsky produced another oil painting masterpiece. - Chesme battle.

The artist showed on the canvas one of the most heroic battles in the history of the Russian fleet, which took place on the night of June 26, 1770. How accurately he conveys what he did not see himself, but the sailors experienced. Ships are burning and exploding all around, masts flare up, their fragments fly into the air. Scarlet fire mixes with gray water, like our Russian sailors with Turkish ones. The bright moon looks down on the battle, as if predicting the upcoming victory over the Turkish fleet.

Another feat of Russian sailors was shown in the painting of 1848 "Battle of Navarre".

This is a battle between the combined Anglo-French-Russian and Turkish-Egyptian fleets. Russian ships in the very center of the battle take the main blow of the enemy. Aivazovsky shows how the Azov battleship, led by Captain Lazarev, destroys five enemy ships. The flagship "Azov" is badly damaged, but the crew of the ship boards the ship of the Turks, moves to their deck and defeats them. Then the whole world admired the courage and fortitude of the Russian sailors.

Another famous work of the marine painter "Rainbow" (1873), hung in the Tretyakov Gallery - written on the favorite theme of the painter.

A terrible storm, an attempt to escape after a shipwreck. The viewer is immediately thrown into the epicenter of the hurricane. The downpour does not stop, a strong piercing wind blows. It seems that this small boat is waiting for death from the elements. The dark rocks ahead are terrifying, but a rainbow that suddenly appears gives a drop of hope for salvation. Somewhere the sky has already begun to clear up, it remains to wait a little more, and the sea will stop its excitement.

The artist worked until the last days of his life. In 1881 he painted a picture "Black Sea".

Another job title "A storm is beginning to break out on the Black Sea." Someone considers this picture the simplest of those presented in the Tretyakov Gallery. The large canvas depicts a dark sea and an overcast sky above it. Despite the restraint of the colorful range, it has an emotional effect on many. For some reason, the audience can't take their eyes off him.

And . Kramskoy once said about the painting “The Black Sea” that “there is nothing on it except the sky and water, but water is an endless ocean, not stormy, but swaying, harsh, endless, and the sky, if possible, even more endless. It's one of the grandest paintings I've ever seen."

Painting "Wave", written by Aivazovsky at the end of his life is still considered one of the artist's most powerful works. A stormy sea on a windy winter day is a rather simple plot, but there is so much strength and power in this picture.

The gray leaden sky, storm clouds and the deep sea covered with foam - everything speaks of a single sad image of the picture. And even ships with tucked sails, anchored, do not expect a miracle. Nothing will save the sailors, there is no more hope -.

Why is the Aivazovsky Sea so alive, breathing and transparent? What is the axis of any of his paintings? Where should we look to enjoy his masterpieces to the fullest? As he wrote: is it long, short, joyful or painful? And what does impressionism have to do with Aivazovsky?

Of course, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was born a genius. But there was also a craft that he mastered brilliantly and in the intricacies of which one wants to understand. So, from what were the sea foam and moon paths of Aivazovsky born?

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Storm on rocky shores.

"Secret colors", Aivazovsky wave, glazing

Ivan Kramskoy wrote to Pavel Tretyakov: “Aivazovsky probably has the secret of composing paints, and even the paints themselves are secret; I have never seen such bright and pure tones even on the shelves of Muscat shops.. Some of Aivazovsky's secrets have come down to us, although the main one is not a secret at all: in order to write the sea like that, you need to be born by the sea, live a long life near it, for which you never get fed up with it.

The famous “Aivazovsky wave” is a foamy, almost transparent sea wave, which feels like it is moving, swift, alive. The artist achieved transparency using the glazing technique, that is, applying the thinnest layers of paint on top of each other. Aivazovsky preferred oil, but often his waves seem like watercolors. It is as a result of glazing that the image acquires this transparency, and the colors seem very saturated, but not due to the density of the stroke, but due to the special depth and subtlety. Aivazovsky's virtuoso glazing is a delight for collectors: most of his paintings are in excellent condition - the thinnest layers of paint are less prone to cracking.

Aivazovsky wrote rapidly, often creating works in one session, so his glazing technique had author's nuances. Here is what Nikolai Barsamov, long-term director of the Feodosia Art Gallery and the greatest connoisseur of Aivazovsky’s work, writes about this: “... he sometimes glazed water over a semi-dry underpainting. Often the artist glazed the waves at their base, which gave depth and strength to the colorful tone and achieved the effect of a transparent wave. Sometimes glazing darkened significant planes of the picture. But glazing in Aivazovsky's painting was not an obligatory last stage of work, as was the case with the old masters with the three-layer method of painting. All his painting was basically carried out in one go, and glazing was often used by him as one of the ways to apply a layer of paint on white ground at the beginning of work, and not just as final registrations at the end of work. The artist sometimes used glazing at the first stage of work, covering significant planes of the picture with a translucent layer of paint and using the white ground of the canvas as a luminous lining. So sometimes he wrote water. Skillfully distributing a layer of paint of various densities over the canvas, Aivazovsky achieved a true transmission of the transparency of water.

Aivazovsky turned to glazes not only when working on waves and clouds, but with their help he was able to breathe life into the land. " Aivazovsky painted earth and stones with coarse bristly brushes. It is possible that he specially trimmed them so that the hard ends of the bristles left furrows on the paint layer., - says the art critic Barsamov. - The paint in these places is usually laid in a dense layer. As a rule, Aivazovsky almost always glazed the ground. The glazing (darker) tone, falling into the furrows from the bristles, gave a kind of liveliness to the colorful layer and greater reality to the depicted form.».

As for the question “Where did the colors come from?”, it is known that in recent years he bought paints from the Berlin company Mewes. Everything is simple. But there is also a legend: as if Aivazovsky bought paints from Turner. Only one thing can be said about this: it is theoretically possible, but even if so, Aivazovsky definitely did not paint all 6,000 of his works with Turner paints. And the picture that the impressed Turner dedicated the poem to was created by Aivazovsky even before he met the great British marine painter.

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Bay of Naples on a moonlit night.

“In your picture I see the moon with its gold and silver, standing above the sea, reflected in it. The surface of the sea, on which a light breeze catches up with a quivering swell, seems to be a field of sparks. Forgive me, great artist, if I made a mistake in mistaking the picture for reality, but your work fascinated me, and delight took possession of me. Your art is eternal and powerful, because genius inspires you,” William Turner’s poems about Aivazovsky’s painting “The Bay of Naples on a Moonlit Night”.

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Among the waves.

The main thing is to start, or At the pace of Aivazovsky

Aivazovsky always began work with the image of the sky, and he wrote it in one go - it could be 10 minutes or 6 hours. He painted the light in the sky not with the side surface of the brush, but with its end, that is, he “illuminated” the sky with numerous quick touches of the brush. The sky is ready - you can relax, get distracted (however, he allowed himself this only with paintings that took a lot of time). The sea could write in several passes.

To work on a painting for a long time in the view of Ivan Aivazovsky is, for example, to paint one canvas for 10 days. That is how much it took the artist, who at that time was 81 years old, to create his largest painting - "Among the Waves". At the same time, according to his confession, his whole life was a preparation for this picture. That is, the work required maximum effort from the artist - and for ten whole days. But in the history of art, it is not uncommon for cases when paintings were painted for twenty or more years (for example, Fyodor Bruni painted his “Copper Serpent” for 14 years, started in 1827, and finished in 1841).

In Italy, Aivazovsky at a certain period made friends with Alexander Ivanov, the same one who wrote The Appearance of Christ to the People for 20 years, from 1837 to 1857. They even tried to work together, but soon quarreled. Ivanov could work on a sketch for months, trying to achieve the special accuracy of a poplar leaf, while Aivazovsky managed to walk all around and paint several pictures during this time: “I can’t write quietly, I can’t pore for months. I don’t leave the picture until I speak out ”. Such different talents, different ways to create - hard labor and joyful admiration of life - could not stay close for long.

Ivan Aivazovsky next to his painting, photograph, 1898.

Aivazovsky at the easel.

“The atmosphere of the workshop was exceptionally simple. In front of the easel there was a simple chair with a wicker reed seat, the back of which was covered with a rather thick layer of paint, since Aivazovsky had a habit of throwing his hand with a brush behind the back of the chair and, sitting half a turn to the picture, looked at it, ”- from the memoirs of Konstantin Artseulov , this grandson of Aivazovsky also became an artist.

Creativity as joy

Aivazovsky's muse (forgive us this pompousness) is joyful, not painful. “By the ease, the apparent ease of the movement of the hand, by the satisfied expression on the face, one could safely say that such work is a real pleasure”, - these are the impressions of an official of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, writer Vasily Krivenko, who watched how Aivazovsky worked.

Aivazovsky, of course, saw that for many artists their gift is either a blessing or a curse, other paintings are written almost with blood, exhausting and exhausting their creator. For him, approaching the canvas with a brush has always been the greatest joy and happiness, he acquired a special lightness and omnipotence in his workshop. At the same time, Aivazovsky carefully listened to practical advice, did not dismiss the comments of people whom he valued and respected. Although not enough to believe that the lightness of his brush is a drawback.

Plein air VS workshop

Only the lazy did not talk about the importance of working with nature in those years. Aivazovsky, on the other hand, preferred to make fleeting sketches from life, and write in the studio. “Preferred”, perhaps, is not quite the right word, it's not about convenience, it was his principled choice. He believed that it was impossible to depict from nature the movement of the elements, the breath of the sea, the peals of thunder and the flashing of lightning - and this was what interested him. Aivazovsky had a phenomenal memory and considered his task "in nature" to absorb what was happening. Feeling and memorizing, in order to return to the studio, throw out these feelings on the canvas - that's why nature is needed. At the same time, Aivazovsky was an excellent copyist. During training with Maxim Vorobyov, he demonstrated this skill to the fullest. But copying - at least someone's paintings, even nature - seemed to him much less than he was able to do.

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Amalfi Bay in 1842. Sketch. 1880s

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Coast in Amalfi.

About the rapid work of Aivazovsky and what his sketches from nature were, the artist Ilya Ostroukhov left detailed memories:

“I accidentally got acquainted with the manner of performing artworks by the late famous marine painter Aivazovsky in 1889, during one of my trips abroad, in Biarritz. At about the same time that I arrived in Biarritz, Aivazovsky also arrived there. The venerable artist was already then, as I remember, about seventy years old ... Having learned that I was well acquainted with the topography of the area, [he] immediately pulled me for a walk along the ocean shore. The day was stormy, and Aivazovsky, fascinated by the view of the ocean surf, stopped on the beach ...

Without taking his eyes off the ocean and the landscape of distant mountains, he slowly took out his tiny notebook and drew only three lines with a pencil - the outline of distant mountains, the line of the ocean at the foot of these mountains, and the line of the coast from himself. Then we went on with him. After walking about a verst, he stopped again and made the same drawing of several lines in the other direction.

It's a cloudy day today, - said Aivazovsky, - and you can only tell me, please, where the sun rises and sets here.

I pointed. Aivazovsky put a few dots in the book and hid the book in his pocket.

Now let's go. For me this is enough. Tomorrow I will paint the ocean surf in Biarritz.

The next day, three spectacular pictures of the sea surf were really written: in Biarritz: in the morning, at noon and at sunset ... "

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Biarritz. 1889

Aivazovsky's sun, or what does impressionism have to do with it

The Armenian artist Martiros Saryan noticed that no matter how grandiose the storm Aivazovsky portrayed, in the upper part of the canvas a ray of light will always break through the accumulation of thunderclouds - sometimes clear, sometimes thin and barely noticeable: “It is in him, this Light, that the meaning of all the storms depicted by Aivazovsky lies».

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Storm in the North Sea.

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlight night. 1849

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Bay of Naples on a moonlit night. 1892

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ship "Empress Maria" during a storm. 1892

Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlit night in Capri. 1841

If it is the sun, then it will illuminate the blackest storm, if it is a lunar path, then it will fill the entire canvas with its flicker. We are not going to call Aivazovsky either an impressionist or a forerunner of impressionism. But let's quote the words of the patron Alexei Tomilov - he criticizes the paintings of Aivazovsky: “The figures are sacrificed to such an extent that it is impossible to recognize: in the foreground they are men or women (...) air and water flaunt.” We say about the Impressionists that the main characters of their paintings are color and light, one of the main tasks is the transmission of light-air mass. In the works of Aivazovsky, light is in the first place, and yes, quite right, air and water (in his case, this is about the sky and the sea). Everything else is built around this main thing.

He strives not only to portray plausibly, but to convey sensations: the sun should shine so that you want to close your eyes, the viewer will shrink from the wind, and recoil from the wave in fright. The latter, in particular, was done by Repin, when Aivazovsky suddenly opened the door of the room in front of him, behind which stood his "Ninth Wave".

Museums section publications

A dozen seas by Ivan Aivazovsky: geography in paintings

We recall the famous canvases of Aivazovsky and study the maritime geography of the 19th century from them.

Adriatic Sea

Venetian lagoon. View of the island of San Giorgio. 1844. State Tretyakov Gallery

The sea, which is part of the Mediterranean, was named in antiquity after the ancient port of Adria (in the region of Venice). Now the water has receded from the city by 22 kilometers, and the city has become land.

In the 19th century, reference books wrote about this sea: “... the most dangerous wind is the northeast wind - Borey, also the southeast wind - sirocco; southwestern - siffanto, less common and less prolonged, but often very strong; it is especially dangerous near the mouths of the Po, when it suddenly changes to the southeast and turns into a strong storm (furiano). Between the islands of the east coast these winds are doubly dangerous, for in the narrow channels and in each bay they blow differently; the most terrible are the boreal in winter and the hot "south" (Slovensk.) in summer. Already the ancients often talk about the dangers of Adria, and from the numerous prayers for salvation and the vows of sailors preserved in the churches of the Italian coast, it is clear that the changeable weather has long been the subject of complaints from coastal swimmers .... ”(1890).

Atlantic Ocean

Napoleon on Saint Helena. 1897. Feodosia Art Gallery. I.K. Aivazovsky

The ocean got its name in antiquity, in honor of the mythical titan Atlanta, who held the vault of heaven on his shoulders somewhere near Gibraltar.

“... The time recently used by sailing ships in various indicated directions is expressed by the following numbers: from Pas de Calais to New York 25-40 days; back 15–23; to the West Indies 27–30, to the equator 27–33 days; from New York to the equator 20–22, in summer 25–31 days; from the English Channel to Bahia 40, to Rio de Janeiro 45, to Cape Horn 66, to Capstadt 60, to the Gulf of Guinea 51 days. Of course, the duration of the crossing varies depending on the weather; more detailed guidance can be found in the "Passage tables" published by the London Board of Trade. Steamboats are less dependent on the weather, especially postal ones, equipped with all the modern improvements and now crossing the Atlantic Ocean in all directions ... ”(1890).

Baltic Sea

Big raid in Kronstadt. 1836. Timing

The sea got its name either from the Latin word balteus (“belt”), since, according to ancient geographers, it encircled Europe, or from the Baltic word baltas (“white”).

“... Due to the low salt content, shallow depth and severity of winter, the Baltic Sea freezes over a large area, although not every winter. So, for example, driving on ice from Reval to Helsingfors is not possible every winter, but in severe frosts and deep straits between the Åland Islands and both coasts of the mainland are covered with ice, and in 1809 the Russian army with all military weights crossed here over the ice to Sweden and in two other places across the Gulf of Bothnia. In 1658, the Swedish king Charles X crossed the ice from Jutland to Zeeland…” (1890).

ionian sea

Naval Battle of Navarino, October 2, 1827. 1846. Naval Academy. N.G. Kuznetsova

According to ancient myths, the sea, which is part of the Mediterranean, was named after Zeus's beloved Princess Io, who was turned into a cow by his wife, the goddess Hera. In addition, Hera sent a huge gadfly to Io, fleeing from which the poor thing swam across the sea.

“... There are luxurious olive groves on Kefalonia, but in general the Ionian Islands are treeless. Main products: wine, oil, southern fruits. The main occupations of the inhabitants are agriculture and sheep breeding, fishing, trade, and shipbuilding; manufacturing industry in its infancy…”

In the 19th century, this sea was the site of important naval battles: we talked about one of them, captured by Aivazovsky.

Cretan Sea

On the island of Crete. 1867. Feodosia Art Gallery. I.K. Aivazovsky

Another sea, which is part of the Mediterranean, washes Crete from the north and is named after this island. "Crete" is one of the oldest geographical names, it is already found in the Mycenaean linear letter "B" of the 2nd millennium BC. e. Its meaning is unclear; perhaps in one of the ancient Anatolian languages ​​it meant "silver".

“...Christians and Mohammedans are here in terrible mutual enmity. Industries are in decline; harbors, which were in a flourishing state under the Venetian rule, almost all became shallow; most of the cities are in ruins…” (1895).

Sea of ​​Marmara

Golden Horn Bay. Turkey. After 1845. Chuvash State Art Museum

The sea, located between the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean and separates the European part of Istanbul from the Asian. It is named after the island of Marmara, where the famous quarries were located in ancient times.

“... Although the Sea of ​​Marmara is in the exclusive possession of the Turks, both its topography and its physico-chemical and biological properties have been studied mainly by Russian hydrographers and scientists. The first detailed description of the shores of this sea was made on Turkish military ships in 1845-1848 by the hydrographer of the Russian fleet, captain-lieutenant Manganari ... ”(1897).

North Sea

View of Amsterdam. 1854. Kharkov Art Museum

The sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean, washes the shores of Europe from France to Scandinavia. In the 19th century in Russia it was called German, later the name was changed.

“... With the exception of the aforementioned very narrow expanse of great depths off the coast of Norway, the German Sea is the smallest of all coastal seas and even of all seas, with the exception of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. The German Sea, together with the English Channel, are the seas most visited by ships, since through it there is a path from the ocean to the first harbor of the globe - London ... ”(1897).

Arctic Ocean

Storm on the Arctic Ocean. 1864. Feodosia Art Gallery. I.K. Aivazovsky

The current name of the ocean was officially approved in 1937, before that it was called differently - including the North Sea. In ancient Russian texts, there is even a touching version - the Breathing Sea. In Europe, it is called the Arctic Ocean.

“... Attempts to reach the North Pole have not been successful so far. The expedition of the American Peary came closest to the North Pole, which set off from New York in 1905 on a specially built Roosevelt steamer and returned in October 1906 ”(1907).

Mediterranean Sea

Port of La Valletta on the island of Malta. 1844. Timing

This sea became "Mediterranean" in the III century AD. e. thanks to the Roman geographers. The composition of this large sea includes many small ones - in addition to those named here, these are Alboran, Balearic, Icarian, Carpathian, Cilician, Cypriot, Levantine, Libyan, Ligurian, Myrtoic and Thracian.

“... Navigation in the Mediterranean Sea at the present time, with the strong development of the steam fleet, does not present any particular difficulties, due to the comparative rarity of strong storms and due to the satisfactory fencing of shallows and coasts with lighthouses and other warning signs. About 300 large lighthouses are distributed along the coasts of the continents and islands, with the latter accounting for about 1/3, and of the remaining 3/4 located on the European coast ... ”(1900).

Tyrrhenian Sea

Moonlit night in Capri. 1841. State Tretyakov Gallery

The sea, which is part of the Mediterranean and located north of Sicily, was named after the character of ancient myths, the Lydian prince Tyrrhenus, who drowned in it.

“... All the latifundia [large estates] of Sicily belong to large owners - aristocrats who live permanently either in continental Italy, or in France and Spain. The shredding of landed property often goes to extremes: the peasant owns one dugout on a piece of land measuring several square arshins. In the seaside valley, where private property lies in fruit plantations, there are often such peasant owners who have only 4–5 chestnut trees ”(1900).

Black Sea

Black Sea (A storm begins to break out on the Black Sea). 1881. State Tretyakov Gallery

This name, probably associated with the color of the water during a storm, the sea received only in modern times. The ancient Greeks, who actively settled on its shores, called it first the Inhospitable, and then the Hospitable.

“... Urgent passenger and cargo shipping traffic between the ports of the Black Sea is supported by Russian ships (mainly of the Russian Shipping and Trade Society), Austrian Lloyd, French Messageries maritimes and Frayssinet et C-ie and the Greek company Courtgi et C-ie under the Turkish flag. Foreign ships visit almost exclusively the ports of Rumelia, Bulgaria, Romania and Anatolia, while the ships of the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade visit all the ports of the Black Sea. The composition of the ships of the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade in 1901 - 74 ships ... "(1903).

the Aegean sea

Island of Patmos. 1854. Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts. M.A. Vrubel

This part of the Mediterranean, located between Greece and Turkey, is named after the Athenian king Aegeus, who threw himself into it from a cliff, thinking that his son Theseus was killed by the Minotaur.

“... Sailing along the Aegean Sea, which lies in the path of ships coming from the Black and Marmara Seas, is generally very pleasant, thanks to good, clear weather, but in autumn and early spring storms are not uncommon, brought by cyclones coming from the North Atlantic Ocean through Europe to Malaya Asia. The inhabitants of the islands are excellent sailors ... "(1904).

Biography and paintings of Ivan Aivazovsky with titles.

Biography

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is a famous Russian artist. Known as an unsurpassed master of painting in the genre of marina"(seascapes, battle scenes at sea). Known throughout the world as one of the most outstanding Russian artists, representing both Russian painting in general and the highest level of the marine genre. If Ivan Shishkin can be called the best Russian landscape painter who created indescribable landscapes of the Russian forest, then Ivan Aivazovsky is the best landscape painter, whose main attention was riveted to the sea.

Ivan Aivazovsky is of Armenian origin. Born June 29, 1817 in Feodosia. Real name - Hovhannes Ayvazyan. From early childhood he had creative abilities. Special talents were observed in music and drawing. Studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Here his abilities were appreciated. For his paintings, he repeatedly received the highest awards.

Due to high academic performance, Aivazovsky graduated two years ahead of schedule, after which the Academy sent him to the Crimea. After he traveled around Europe, where for six years he was engaged in independent painting. Abroad, his work was also appreciated. After returning to Russia, he became an artist of the Main Naval Staff of Russia, and then a professor at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.

The main subjects of Ivan Aivazovsky were seascapes, battle scenes at sea (sea battles). In addition, in his work there are many landscape paintings, urban landscapes, genre painting.

During his life, Aivazovsky wrote over 6000 paintings. The last picture of Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was the work called "Sea Bay". On the last day of his life, he began to paint the painting "", which remained unfinished.

The great Russian artist died on April 19 (May 2), 1900 in Feodosia. The artist was 82 years old. He was buried in Feodosia, in the courtyard of the Armenian Church of St. Sarkis.

Ivan Aivazovsky is one of the world's greatest artists. More than a hundred years after the painter died, his paintings are still highly valued, presented in major museums, and are considered an invaluable asset of world art. Aivazovsky's contribution to world culture and painting is difficult to overestimate. For many subsequent artists, his art is an example of the highest level of craftsmanship worth striving for.

Here you can see collection of paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky. The most famous paintings. Naturally, it is not possible to imagine several thousand paintings by the artist, but a few dozen that you can see in the gallery on our website are enough to understand how talented and brilliant the artist was, who went down in world history as one of those whose talent will always surprise, delight and inspire.

Ivan Aivazovsky paintings with titles

The brig "Mercury" after the victory over two Turkish ships meets with the Russian squadron
Stormy sea at night
Storm over Evpatoria
Golden Horn Bay. Turkey
Great Pyramid of Giza
Venice
Windmill by the sea
Turkish ship explosion
View of Vesuvius on a moonlit night
View of the Venetian lagoon
View of Constantinople and the Golden Horn
Wave Eastern scene. Coffee house near Ortakoy Mosque in Constantinople
global flood
Vyborg naval battle
Galata tower on a moonlit night
Gurzuf at night
Ninth shaft Winter landscape
Winter scene in Little Russia
Shipwreck
Ship Empress Maria during a storm
Kronstadt raid
Ice mountains in Antarctica
Moonlit night in Crimea
Moonlit night in Capri
Sea. Koktebel
Naval Battle of Navarino, October 2, 1827
Sea view from the chapel on the shore
sea ​​bay
Bay of Naples on a moonlit night
Gulf of Naples
Jews crossing the Red Sea
Petersburg exchange
Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka Pushkin's farewell to the sea
Rainbow
Battle of Sinop October 18, 1853
Sinop battle
Barges on the seashore
Towers on a rock near the Bosphorus
Chumaks in Little Russia
Black Sea
Morning at sea
Tiflis
Scenes from Cairo life
Twilight in the Golden Horn
Fleeing the shipwreck
Noah's descent from Mount Ararat Chaos. world creation
Among the waves Chesme battle on the night of June 25-26, 1770

1. Family and native Feodosia
2. Study and envy of the teacher
3. Rise and false death
4. Glory and family
5. old age and death

Creative biography of the main marine painter of the Russian Empire.

Family and native Feodosia

Ivan Aivazovsky was born in Feodosia, the son of an Armenian merchant Ayvazyan (Gaivazovsky), and was baptized under the name Hovhannes (the Armenian form of the name "John").

The family was not rich, the artist's father had to work hard. The boy clearly grew up talented: he even taught himself to play the violin. His artistic abilities were also evident. Feodosia mayor Alexander Kaznacheev, who noticed how Hovhannes draws, became his first patron: he gave him paints and paper, and also offered to study drawing with his children from the city architect Koch. Moreover, when Hovhannes graduated from the district school in his native city, Kaznacheev, who was transferred to Simferopol, helped the 13-year-old boy get into the Simferopol gymnasium.

The boy continued to draw from nature and copy from engravings, and the city started talking about the young talent. His next patron was Natalya Naryshkina, the daughter of Fyodor Rostopchin and the wife of the Tauride governor. With the help of the famous portrait painter Salvator Tonchi, she was able to get Hovhannes to the Imperial Academy of Arts - moreover, at public expense and despite the fact that he had not yet reached the required age (he was under 14 years old). The President of the Academy, Olenin, made this decision after reading Naryshkina's letter and looking at the drawing of the boy enclosed in it.

Study and envy of the teacher

The future great artist ended up in St. Petersburg in 1833 and began to study at the Academy - no longer as Ovanes Gaivazovsky, but as Ivan Aivazovsky. He was accepted into the landscape class of Maxim Nikiforovich Vorobyov.

Ivan Aivazovsky. Seashore at night. At the lighthouse. 1837

Ivan Aivazovsky. Kerch. 1839

Ivan Aivazovsky. Kronstadt raid. 1840

Soon, at the invitation of Emperor Nicholas I, the French marine painter Philip Tanner arrived in the northern capital, to whom Aivazovsky was assigned as a student. The Frenchman dumped a huge amount of menial work on the young man. However, Aivazovsky still found time to paint his own paintings, and in 1836 presented them at the Academic Exhibition, where Tanner also exhibited. One of the paintings was awarded a silver medal. In a review of this exhibition, the Art Newspaper praised the young painter, and reproached the Frenchman for mannerisms. This caused a wild fury in Tanner, and he complained about the negligent student who violated the chain of command, his main customer - Emperor Nicholas. Aivazovsky was formally wrong indeed - according to the rules, the canvases for the exhibition were to be selected by the teacher, but he did not ask Tanner for permission.

The emperor, without going into details, ordered the removal of Aivazovsky's paintings from the exhibition. The artist fell into disgrace, and his further career was in jeopardy. In vain did Krylov, Zhukovsky, and the President of the Academy, Olenin, fuss over him. However, they managed to attract to his side the artist Alexander Sauerweid, who taught the children of the emperor. This patron turned out to be more powerful - in an informal setting, he was able to show Nikolai a picture of Aivazovsky. He praised the young man, ordered him to pay money for the work, and, moreover, sent with his son Konstantin on a summer practical trip to the Baltic, where both young men got to know the sailing fleet - however, with different goals. In addition, Aivazovsky was assigned to a new teacher - the same Sauerweid, who specialized in battle painting.

Having received the Great Gold Medal of the Academy in 1837, Aivazovsky won a trip to the Crimea and Europe. By the way, 20-year-old Aivazovsky was released from the educational institution two years earlier, since the teachers decided that the Academy could not give him anything more.

Rise and false death

Before leaving for Europe, Aivazovsky was noted in military operations - Admiral Mikhail Lazarev invited him to witness the victories of Russian weapons. Together with Nikolai Raevsky, he took part in the landing on the Caucasian coast (where Sochi is now located) and sketched the consequences of the bloody battle with a notebook in his hands.

In 1840-1844, the young master traveled around Europe, improving his skills. At first, it was difficult for him financially: he sent part of his pension to his mother in Feodosia, and did not spend it on himself. At first he lived and studied in Italy. During these years, he developed his own creative method and learned to work from memory.

Paintings written in Venice, Florence, Naples, Amalfi and Sorreno, presented at exhibitions in Rome and Naples, brought him great success. His income began to rise and he was able to afford travel to Switzerland, Germany, France and England. During the trip, his ship fell into a severe storm, the ship was considered drowned, and the artist was considered dead, and his obituaries even appeared in St. Petersburg newspapers.

Ivan Aivazovsky. Amalfi coast. 1841

Ivan Aivazovsky. The brig "Mercury" after defeating two Turkish ships meets with the Russian squadron. 1848

Glory and family

Aivazovsky returned to Russia in triumph. He received the title of academician and by imperial decree was assigned to the Main Naval Staff as an artist with the right to wear the uniform of the Naval Ministry.

In subsequent years, Aivazovsky's career developed happily. In 1845, as part of the Russian Geographical Society, he set off on a journey to the shores of Asia Minor and the Greek islands. In the late 1860s, the artist made a long journey through the Caucasus and Transcaucasia - he visited Ossetia, Dagestan, Georgia, Armenia. This period includes a cycle of amazing mountain landscapes. He was also in Egypt at the opening of the Suez Canal.

As soon as finances allowed, Aivazovsky settled in his native Feodosia, where he bought a plot and built a house on it, reminiscent of Italian palazzos in style. The mansion was always full of guests - many visitors wanted to see the famous artist and his work. Over time, Aivazovsky turned it into a private museum open to visitors and added a gallery. Today it is the building of the Feodosiya National Art Gallery. Aivazovsky.

In 1848 he married a governess, Julia Grefs, who bore him four daughters. The marriage ended in divorce: the wife had a complex character, preferred to live in St. Petersburg and did not approve of her husband's love for the Crimean home and travel. In the end, she left him and began to live separately, while introducing her husband into large debts. In 1877, he sold a petition to the Etchmiadzin Synod for a divorce. In 1882, the 65-year-old Aivazovsky was married for the second time to the young widow of a Feodosia merchant, Anna Burnazyan (Sarkizova). With the newlywed, he undertook a new journey through the countries of the Mediterranean.