Aivazovsky sea battle. Battle paintings by I.K.

Aivazovsky's sea battle is undoubtedly one of the most common themes depicted in his canvases. The legendary painter admired the exploits of the heroic sailors who defended their Fatherland, and gladly glorified them in his paintings. Thanks to his work, it was possible to perpetuate the memory of many events and glorious episodes from the history of the Russian fleet. The artist owes his world fame to many masterpieces.

Aivazovsky’s painting “Chesme Battle”, description of the best masterpiece

Ivan Aivazovsky’s canvas “” is deservedly called one of the most striking and famous works of the greatest marine painter among those dating back to the early period of his work. It is dedicated to the most significant episode of the Russian-Turkish war, which at the end played a decisive role in the signing of a peace agreement between the countries.

The canvas takes us back to the distant year 1770, on the night of June 25-26, when the ships of the Russian flotilla managed to block a significant part of the Turkish ships in Chesme Bay and destroy them. Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” became the best description of the grandiose battle; in it, the author managed to perfectly combine two opposing feelings: to reflect the drama of the event for one side and to “imbue” literally every stroke with a feeling of triumph, heroism, and brilliant victory.

In the foreground of the picture the outlines of the flagship of the Russian fleet loom proudly, and inside the bay Turkish ships are burning and exploding, and fragments of masts are scattered.

The black-gray smoke rising from the scarlet flame mixes with the clouds through which the moon breaks through, and seems to absolutely calmly watch, shedding its cold light, everything that is happening below.

The viewer’s attention in Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme” is captured by a group of people in the water - these are Turkish sailors who were able to escape after the explosion of their ship. They try to grab hold of the wreckage of its masts and hold on, calling in vain for help.

Describing Aivazovsky’s painting “The Battle of Chesme”, it should be noted how it amazes with its high skill, virtuosic technique and realistic images.

Here the colors are brilliantly collected, conveying the tragedy and triumph of the situation, emphasizing the powerful mixture of elements: water, fire and air.

Aivazovsky's canvases about the Battle of Sinop

Among the best paintings of the famous painter, who devoted many works to describing military battles during the Crimean War, two more dedicated to the Battle of Sinop are confidently included.

The battle took place in November 1853, after the Turkish state declared war on Russia. The fleet under the command of Nakhimov set off in the direction of the enemy’s shores and, coming as close as possible, destroyed all the Turkish ships based in Sinop Bay in a few hours.

On one canvas - "" - Aivazovsky captured the early morning and the very beginning of a victorious battle for the Russian fleet: the sea, small waves on which sailing ships sway, the sky covered with gray clouds and the first clouds of smoke from cannon shots.

On the second canvas, dedicated to the Battle of Sinop, Aivazovsky depicted. The Turkish ships, burning with a bright flame, throw burnt chips into the black, but already calm water. Not far away, Russian ships stood proudly, enjoying their triumph.

The famous painting “The Battle of Navarino” by Aivazovsky

The famous canvas by Aivazovsky, written by the author in 1846, depicts one of the most significant events in the history of the Russian fleet and the events that glorified it. History takes us to October 1827, when a battle took place with the Turkish-Egyptian fleet in Navarino Bay.

In the foreground is the famous Russian flagship Azov, it was badly damaged as a result of the battle, but at the same time decides to board the enemy ship. As a result, Russian sailors move to the enemy deck to destroy it.

With a skillful brush, the master conveyed the tragedy and heroism of the event, despite the raging fire and clouds of smoke, fragments of the masts of broken ships, the activity of the battle - no one doubts the outcome.

Other paintings

The Battle of Chesme is one of the most important episodes of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. During the night, Russian ships were able to “lock” in Chesme Bay and destroy most of the Turkish fleet.

I.K. Aivazovsky was not a participant in the grandiose Battle of Chesma, which took place on the night of June 25-26, 1770, but on his canvas he convincingly captured the picture of the naval battle.

The canvas “Chesme Battle” was painted by the artist in 1848 and dates back to the early period of the great marine painter’s work.

“The Battle of Chesme” is a battle painting permeated with passionate pathos and drama. In the foreground is the silhouette of the flagship of the Russian flotilla. In the depths of Chesme Bay there are Turkish ships dying from explosions. We see how they burn and drown - fragments of the masts fly away, the flames of the fire rage, illuminating the dark night with tragic light.

Turkish sailors, who miraculously survived the explosion, are clutching the wreckage of a wooden ship, trying to stay afloat, and calling for help. Rising upward, the blue smoke of the fire mixes with the clouds. The mixing of the elements of fire, water and air resembles some kind of hellish fireworks. From above, the moon looks somewhat detached at everything that is happening.

Despite the cruelty of what is happening, the film “Chesme Battle” makes a great impression. It is clear that the painter himself, in the process of creating the canvas, experienced a feeling of joyful excitement, intoxication with the brilliant victory won by the Russian sailors. The painting is distinguished by its virtuoso technique, skill and boldness of execution.

The painting “The Battle of Chesme” by I.K. Aivazovsky is one of the paintings glorifying one of the most glorious pages in the history of the Russian fleet.

In addition to the description of the painting by I.K. Aivazovsky “The Battle of Chesme”, our website contains many other descriptions of paintings by various artists, which can be used both in preparation for writing an essay on the painting, and simply for a more complete acquaintance with the work of famous masters of the past.

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.

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 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.