Chesme boy artist. Chesme fight

I.K. Aivazovsky is an outstanding Russian marine painter, collector, and philanthropist. His paintings are rightfully considered masterpieces, and the author himself enjoys fame not only in Russia, but also abroad. The artist was a member of several European academies, which is the best proof of the recognition of his work abroad.

general description of work

At the beginning of his career as an artist, Aivazovsky was strongly influenced by the famous Russian painter of the romantic movement K.P. The latter had such a strong impression on the young and aspiring master that at first he simply imitated him.

“Chesme Battle” - a painting by Aivazovsky, the history of which is closely connected with the early stage of his work, is the best confirmation of this. In this monumental and large-scale canvas, the painter embodied the best principles of his teacher: the courage and grandeur of the plan, the brightness and liveliness of the image, the sublime style of the images. Following the principles of romanticism, the author did not skimp on dramatic colors.

Features of the canvas

Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” demonstrates the best achievements of painting in the genre of romanticism. The fact is that at this time the young and talented artist created under the influence of the era. In order to emphasize the majesty of the victory of the Russian fleet, he even made some deviations from historical reality, slightly shifting the position of the ships. The artist primarily focused on the image of the fire, which, despite the tragedy of the situation, gives the canvas a major tone.

Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” is one of the author’s first major works in the marine genre. The artist did not set out to reproduce the picture of the battle with documentary accuracy, because this had already been done by the German painter Ya.F. Hackert by special order of Catherine II. This author drew the location of all ships and fleets of the warring parties in strict order, based on documentary evidence, memoirs, and data from ship logs.

Therefore, Aivazovsky decided to deviate somewhat from the realities of the event. Taking the work of his predecessor as a basis and carefully working with documentary materials, he created his own original canvas, with which he glorified the victory of the Russian fleet. This was quite in the spirit of his time, when the romantic direction in Russian art was dominant.

Historical plot

One of the main battles of the Russian-Turkish war was the Battle of Chesme. Aivazovsky, whose painting is dedicated to this important event of the 18th century, chose it as the subject for his canvas for two reasons. Firstly, this victory clearly demonstrated the increased power of the Russian fleet, and, secondly, there were many documents, memories, and most importantly, a similar work by a German artist already existed, which influenced the author.

In addition, this battle had a resonance in Russian society. Count Orlov's famous dispatch, in which he reported on the victory, circulated from hand to hand. Of course, such a historical fact could not help but attract the attention of such a famous marine painter as Aivazovsky, who was the artist of the Main Naval Staff.

Description

Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” was painted in 1848. As mentioned above, this was an early period in the artist’s work. The main element of the work is a fire, which gives the impression of a terrible, but at the same time spectacular fireworks. The artist deliberately made the outlines of the ships somewhat vague so that the viewer would not be distracted from the main idea of ​​the work. All attention should have been focused precisely on this powerful fiery stream that soars upward.

As you know, representatives of romanticism very often played on contrasts, thereby further enhancing the impression of what was happening. Aivazovsky was no exception. In contrast to the burning sea, which seems to merge with the night sky, a light yellow moon peeks out from behind the clouds. She casts dim rays down. They slightly shade the brightness of the terrible battle. Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” depicts in the background figures of people who were apparently thrown overboard by a shock wave into the sea. The drama of what is happening intensifies: the viewer, looking at the picture, understands that they cannot do without help, and yet this very help will be very difficult for them to receive in view of the disaster that has occurred.

The meaning of the painting in the artist’s work

“Chesme Battle” - a painting by Aivazovsky, the description of which this article was devoted to, occupies a prominent place in the gallery of his paintings. She is, as it were, an intermediate link between his romantic hobbies and the transition to monumental battle painting. It outlined the principles of depiction: colorful reproduction of the battle, special attention to the image of the water surface, which merges with the sky, as well as the use of bright, saturated colors.

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was a comprehensively educated person and an interesting conversationalist. In his youth, he often visited the house of composer M. I. Glinka, where he performed his own melodies on the violin. Later, two of them were included in Glinka’s opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.

Russian artist Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (real name Gaivazovsky) was born in Feodosia, in the family of a bankrupt merchant. His father, an Armenian by nationality, was well educated and knew several Eastern languages. As a child, Vanya was interested in music and drawing - he himself composed small musical works and performed them on the violin, and also drew with charcoal.

The parents did not have the opportunity to give the boy a good education. However, Vanya was lucky: the mayor of Feodosia A.I. Kaznacheev noticed Aivazovsky’s talent and took care of his enrollment in the Simferopol gymnasium.

After studying there for two years, in 1833, sixteen-year-old Aivazovsky was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, in the class of M. N. Vorobyov.

More than others, Aivazovsky was interested in the theme of the sea. During his studies, the future marine painter even took part in the campaign of the Baltic squadron and studied warships. Returning from his trip, he completed several paintings that were exhibited at the Academy exhibition in 1836.

In them one can notice the influence of the Dutch masters of the 17th century, but no one doubted the talent of the young artist. Aivazovsky graduated from the Academy in 1837 with a Great Gold Medal, which gave him the right to travel abroad. However, before this, by decision of the Academy Council, the young artist went to Crimea to paint seascapes. There he not only completed many landscapes and sketches with views of Feodosia, Kerch, Gurzuf, Yalta, and Sevastopol, but also took part in the landing operations of the Black Sea Fleet.

In 1839, he participated in one of the military sea voyages as a painter. The result of his work in Crimea was a number of paintings, of which the most successful can be considered “Moonlit Night in Gurzuf” (1839) and “Sea Shore” (1840).

I.K. Aivazovsky. “Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka, lighting a fire to signal his dying ships,” 1846, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

In 1840, Aivazovsky, together with other graduates of the academy, came to Italy, where he quickly gained popularity. There he met N.V. Gogol, as well as the artists A.A. Ivanov and the Englishman J. Turner. Aivazovsky visited Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, studying artistic masterpieces. At this time he completed the following works: “Evening in Venice” (1843, Palace, Pavlovsk); “Shipwreck” (1843, Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia); “Venice” (1843, Muzalevsky collection); “The Bay of Naples at Night” (1843, I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia).

I.K. Aivazovsky. “Battle in the Strait of Chios”, 1848, Art Gallery named after. I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia

After Italy, he went to Germany, from there to Holland, then visited France, Switzerland, and visited England, Portugal and Spain. During these trips to European countries, Aivazovsky’s artistic style finally took shape - he did not make preliminary sketches or drawings from nature, being content with only a few pencil sketches, saying that “... the movements of living elements are elusive to the brush: painting lightning, a gust of wind, a splash of a wave is unthinkable from life...” In 1844, twenty-seven-year-old Aivazovsky returned to Russia as a famous academician of the Rome, Paris and Amsterdam Academies of Arts. Immediately after returning to St. Petersburg, he received the title of academician and was assigned to the Main Naval Staff as an artist. Soon Aivazovsky began work on a large order - a series of paintings with views of cities on the Baltic Sea coast.

I.K. Aivazovsky. “Chesme Battle”, 1848, Art Gallery named after. I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia

Having completed the order, the master returned to his hometown in 1845, built his own house and began to create. During this period, he painted the canvases “Odessa at Night” (1846, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), “Evening in the Crimea” (1848, I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia).

In 1848, Aivazovsky completed several marines on historical subjects: “The Battle in the Chios Strait”, “The Battle of Chesme”, “The Battle of Navarino” (all in the I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosiya).

On the canvas “Battle in the Strait of Chios” the artist showed a naval battle taking place during the day. In the foreground there are two ships: on the mast of one a white and blue St. Andrew’s banner flutters, on the mast of the other there is a red flag. In the foreground, a fragment of a mast with a piece of sail is swaying in the greenish waves - apparently, all that remains of the sunken ship. In the background, in the smoke of the battle, you can see several more masts and sails of the remaining ships of the squadron.

In the painting “The Battle of Chesme” the master depicted the feat of Lieutenant Ilyin, who blew up his ship near enemy Turkish ships.

The battle takes place at night - the moon is visible in the sky, partially covered with clouds. Several ships are on fire, soldiers are trying to escape in a boat.

In Aivazovsky’s subsequent works one can notice the strengthening of the traditions of romanticism (“The Ninth Wave”, 1850, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, etc.).

During the Crimean War of 1853–1856, the artist repeatedly visited besieged Sevastopol. Subsequently, he captured the events he saw on the canvases “Battle of Sinop by Day” and “Battle of Sinop by Night” (both 1853, Naval Museum, St. Petersburg). A few years later, he completed another painting dedicated to the Crimean War: “The Siege of Sevastopol” (1859, I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia).

In 1867, the artist painted the canvas “The Island of Crete” (I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia), dedicated to the liberation struggle of the Greeks against the Turkish conquerors.

In subsequent years, the master completed several landscapes depicting steppes, farmsteads, and views of the Caucasus. However, despite the fact that the artist worked on them with great diligence, these paintings are still not as expressive as his famous marinas.

In the second half of the 19th century, Aivazovsky continued to paint pictures based on historical subjects. Particularly interesting are the works “The Arrival of Catherine II in Feodosia” (1883); “Black Sea Fleet in Feodosia” (1890); “The brig Mercury attacked by two Turkish ships” (1892); “Napoleon on the Island of St. Helena” (1897), all in the Art Gallery named after. I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia).

Aivazovsky lived in Feodosia, but quite often made short trips to other countries. For example, in 1870, he was part of the Russian delegation at the opening of the Suez Canal. Returning to his hometown and using only small sketches and an excellent visual memory, he created the canvas “Suez Canal”.

I.K. Aivazovsky. “Brig Mercury attacked by two Turkish ships,” 1892, Art Gallery. I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia

The artist worked until the end of his life. In recent years, he completed many magnificent works: “The Black Sea” (1881, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow); “The ship “Maria” during a storm” (1892, I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia), etc.

On April 19, 1900, in one day he wrote his last work, “The Explosion of the Ship” (I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia). Aivazovsky died that same night.

In his will, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky wrote: “My sincere desire is that the building of my art gallery, with all the paintings, statues and other works of art in it, be the complete property of Feodosia, and in memory of me, Aivazovsky, I bequeath the gallery to the city of Feodosia.”

Ivan Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” was created in 1868. It is the only canvas describing the events of the Chesme Battle. For painting the canvas, the artist was awarded the Catherine Order. The painting is included in the list of “Top 200 Best Paintings” according to Maxim magazine.

History of creation

The idea came to Aivazovsky’s mind after a trip he made in 1866. The artist spent the whole year traveling with his wife, Anna. For the first time, the creator came across the dates of the battle, and then decided to study the issue personally. By order of the emperor, the artist was provided with data from the archive. A personal servant was assigned, whose duties included monitoring the artist’s work.

The painting was planned to be delivered by Navy Day. A militaristic policy was beginning in the country, and Aivazovsky’s desire to paint a picture about the Battle of Chesma was received with a bang. After its delivery, the artist received a monetary reward and was assigned to the order that was popular at that time.

Features of the picture

The work was drawn in two stages. The main element was oil. First, the outlines of the ships were created. It was important to preserve their structure while depicting the view historically correctly. At this stage, the work was redrawn twelve times. Aivazovsky could not accurately capture the condition of the masts, and was extremely worried about this. Then the background was formed. The artist managed to capture the fire and the flame rising to the sky right away.

The artist spent a couple of months painting the image of sailors drifting on the wreckage. The painting was painted in a year and three weeks, after which it was varnished and handed over to the emperor's envoy. The grand opening took place at the Peterhof Palace.

Writing style

The picture is painted with short strokes, the brush is turned a couple of centimeters to the left. The base of the tip is used when the middle part is not used. Therefore, a feeling of neat strokes is created, without excessive application of paint. The image of the ships was leveled using a scraper; straight lines were smoothed with a slipway.

Varnishing took place in two stages. First, the emulsion was applied to ships using a mixture with zero hydrogen oxide. The rest was treated with a three percent thinning fluid to give the background a natural look without layering brush strokes.

In the history of the Russian fleet, the Battle of Chesma is one of the glorious heroic events. Aivazovsky himself, of course, could not have witnessed these events that unfolded on the night of June 26, 1770. But at the same time, the artist was very reliably and convincingly able to reproduce the picture of a naval battle on his canvas. Ships burn and explode, fragments of masts fly up to the sky, rising bluish-scarlet flames mix with the clouds, the moon calmly contemplates what is happening from above. Its calm and cold light seems to emphasize the hellish mixture of fire, sea and water. The feeling is as if Aivazovsky himself, when creating this picture, was experiencing the ongoing event, during which the Russian sailors won. Despite the cruelty of what is seen in the picture, it leaves the impression of a grandiose fireworks display and grandeur. The plot of the film was one of the episodes of the Russian-Turkish war, in which Russia fought for dominance in the Black and Mediterranean seas. The Turkish fleet at that historical period was considered the strongest. But after several military battles, he disappeared in panic into Chesme Bay. Pursuing the enemy, Russian ships blocked the exit from the bay, and in one night completely destroyed and burned the entire Turkish fleet. The Russian fleet lost only 11 sailors that night, while the Turks lost 10 thousand. Human. Russia has never experienced such a victory in the history of naval battles. Count Alexey Orlov commanded the events, and Catherine II, being the empress. She ordered the erection of a monument to the heroes who participated in the Battle of Chesme in Tsarskoye Selo. The monument was made in the form of a column, which still stands today in the center of a large pond. The allegorical sculpture is completed by the silhouette of a double-headed eagle, which breaks the marble crescent. Aivazovsky, wanting to feel the scale of a naval battle, took part in some wars, after which he created many battle-themed paintings. Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” demonstrates the brilliant skill of the painter, his technique and courage of execution. In the same 1848 Aivazovsky painted the painting “The Battle of the Cheos Strait,” which was a worthy match for the Battle of Chesma, glorifying the victory of the Russian fleet. Aivazovsky was the brightest of the last representatives of the romantic mood in Russian painting. This was especially evident in his pathetic heroic naval battles.

22. To Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme”

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The most beautiful paintings by Aivazovsky can be listed and shown, but I want to introduce you to the last painting by Aivazovsky, which was included in the seven wonderful paintings of the artist-painter. In 1848, Aivazovsky produced another oil masterpiece, “Chesme Battle” (Chesme Battle on the night of June 25-26, 1770) - the size of the painting is 220 x 188. It is currently in the Feodosia Art Gallery.
The artist showed on canvas one of the most heroic battles in the history of the Russian fleet, which took place on the night of June 25-26, 1770. How accurately he conveys what he did not see himself, but the sailors experienced all this! All around, ships are burning and exploding, masts are bursting into flames, and their debris is flying into the air. Scarlet fire mixes with gray water, just like our Russian sailors mix with Turkish ones. The bright moon looks down on the battle, as if predicting the upcoming victory over the Turkish fleet. But on the canvas above in the clouds, I noticed the face of an old man, or perhaps the Lord himself, calling for calm, as if looking even further into the sky, from where, from behind heavy clouds, the appearance of the moon can be seen, foreshadowing future calm.
The Battle of Chesme is a heroic episode in the history of the war between the Turkish and Russian navies, which was fought during 1768–1774. From June 25 to June 26, 1770, at night, Russian ships managed to “lock in” the Turks and defeat the enemy fleet. During the battle, 11 Russian sailors died heroically, and approximately 10,000 enemy people were killed. This victory is considered unprecedented in the entire history of battles of the Russian fleet.
The artist Ivan Aivazovsky, naturally, did not take part in this heroic battle, but he painted a unique work of art, in which he very well showed the pride and joy of the sailors of the Russian fleet. The canvas was created by the artist in 1848. This is a battle spectacle, imbued with drama and passionate pathos. In this work of painting, the artist showed brilliant skill and a unique technique of execution, which he learned from K. P. Bryullov for many years. When you first look at the picture, you feel the joyful excitement of the brilliant fireworks. Probably, Aivazovsky was the last artist who was able to so competently present the romantic direction in Russian painting. The painting “Chesme Battle” is located on the most glorious pages of the history of the Russian fleet.
The beauty of the sea is also revealed by the artist in battle scenes with warships. The paintings of the 1840s are very remarkable: Aivazovsky painted a picture of a major naval battle of a squadron of united Russian ships in alliance with English and French ships with ships of Turkey and Egypt attacking the united squadron - “The Naval Battle of Navarino on October 2, 1827”, 1846; naval battle and attack of Russian ships that drove Swedish ships through the ranks - “Naval Battle of Reval on May 9, 1790”; 1846; a small ship with a few shots decided the outcome of the victory over two strong Turkish ships, “Brig Mercury” - after the victory over two Turkish ships, the ship meets with the Russian squadron, 1892.