When did Aivazovsky die? AND

The most outstanding Armenian artist of the 19th century. Brother of the Armenian historian and priest Gabriel Aivazovsky.

Origin of the Aivazovsky family

Hovhannes (Ivan) Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was born into the family of merchant Konstantin (Gevorg) and Hripsime Aivazovsky. On July 17 (29), 1817, the priest of the Armenian church in the city of Feodosia recorded that “Hovhannes, son of Gevorg Ayvazyan” was born to Konstantin (Gevorg) Aivazovsky and his wife Hripsime. Aivazovsky's ancestors were from Galician Armenians who moved to Galicia from Turkish Armenia in the 18th century. It is known that his relatives owned large land properties in the Lviv region, but no documents have survived that more accurately describe Aivazovsky's origins. His father Konstantin (Gevorg) and after moving to Feodosia wrote his surname in the Polish manner: “Gayvazovsky” (the surname is a Polonized form of the Armenian surname Ayvazyan). Aivazovsky himself in his autobiography says about his father that, due to a quarrel with his brothers in his youth, he moved from Galicia to the Danube principalities (Moldova, Wallachia) where he took up trade, from there to Feodosia; knew several languages.

Most sources attribute only Armenian origin to Aivazovsky. Lifetime publications dedicated to Aivazovsky convey from his words a family legend that among his ancestors there were Turks. According to these publications, the artist’s late father told him that the artist’s great-grandfather (according to Bludova - on the female side) was the son of a Turkish military leader and, as a child, during the capture of Azov by Russian troops (1696) he was saved from death by a certain Armenian who baptized him and adopted (option - a soldier). After the artist’s death (in 1901), his biographer N.N. Kuzmin told the same story in his book, but about the artist’s father, citing an unnamed document in Aivazovsky’s archive

Biography

Childhood and studies

The artist’s father, Konstantin Grigorievich Aivazovsky (1771-1841), after moving to Feodosia, married a local Armenian woman, Hripsima (1784-1860), and from this marriage three daughters and two sons were born - Hovhannes (Ivan) and Sargis (later, in monasticism - Gabriel). Initially, Aivazovsky's trading affairs were successful, but during the plague epidemic of 1812 he went bankrupt.

Ivan Aivazovsky discovered artistic and musical abilities from childhood; in particular, he taught himself to play the violin. The Feodosia architect - Kokh Yakov Khristianovich, who was the first to pay attention to the boy’s artistic abilities, gave him his first lessons in craftsmanship. Yakov Khristianovich also helped young Aivazovsky in every possible way, periodically giving him pencils, paper, and paints. He also recommended that the mayor of Feodosia pay attention to the young talent. After graduating from the Feodosia district school, he was, with the help of the mayor, who at that time was already an admirer of the talent of the future artist, enrolled in the Simferopol gymnasium. Then he was admitted on public account to the Imperial Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg. Aivazovsky arrived in St. Petersburg on August 28, 1833. In 1835, for the landscapes “View of the seaside in the vicinity of St. Petersburg” and “Study of air over the sea” he received a silver medal and was assigned as an assistant to the fashionable French landscape painter Philippe Tanner. Studying with Tanner, Aivazovsky, despite the latter’s ban on working independently, continued to paint landscapes and exhibited five paintings at the autumn exhibition of the Academy of Arts in 1836. Aivazovsky's works received favorable reviews from critics. Tanner complained about Aivazovsky to Nicholas I, and by order of the Tsar, all of Aivazovsky's paintings were removed from the exhibition. The artist was forgiven only six months later and assigned to the battle painting class of Professor Alexander Ivanovich Sauerweid to study naval military painting. Having studied in Sauerweid's class for only a few months, in September 1837 Aivazovsky received a Grand Gold Medal for the painting "Calm". This gave him the right to a two-year trip to Crimea and Europe.

They often like to call Aivazovsky the darling of fate. This is not surprising - popularity came to him in his youth and remained with the artist until the last days of his life, and his paintings were always very warmly received by the public. Aivazovsky is among those artists whom even people far from fine art know about, and whose work is liked by the absolute majority. Aivazovsky owes this success, of course, to his unique talent: he is often called the “singer of the sea.” Indeed, the artist devoted his entire life and all his work to this element, each time discovering it in a new way in an endless series of canvases. Below is a relatively brief story about the biography and work of Aivazovsky, interesting facts and performance features that shaped the marine painter’s unique style.

Biography. Childhood

Hovhannes Ayvazyan - this is the artist's real name - was born on July 17 (29), 1817 in the ancient Crimean city of Feodosia in the family of an impoverished merchant Gevork (Konstantin) Ayvazyan. Gevork wrote his last name in the Polish manner - Gaivazovsky. Their family barely made ends meet, and Hovhannes, the youngest son, began working part-time at the age of ten.

The boy's talent showed up very early. The Ayvazyan house stood on the outskirts of the city, on a hill, from where an extraordinary view of the sea opened up. The sensitivity of the future artist allowed him to absorb all the beauty of the endless sea element, in order to later embody it in his immortal canvases.

But even then Hovhannes was already drawing. Thanks to a happy accident, which abounds in the biography and work of Aivazovsky (who was invariably accompanied by success during his lifetime), his drawings were noticed by the mayor Kaznacheev. He highly appreciated the boy's abilities and took an ardent part in his fate. Treasurers gave him paints and paper for drawing and taught him from the city architect, then sent him to Simferopol to the gymnasium. There, in Simferopol, Ayvazyan’s talent was also noticed, and it was decided to work for his enrollment in

The President of the Academy in those years was Olenin, a famous patron of the arts who did a lot for Russian culture. Having discerned an extraordinary talent in Ayvazyan, he decides to enroll the 13-year-old boy in the Academy.

Study at the Academy of Arts

At the Academy, Hovhannes Ayvazyan (he would change this name to “Ivan Aivazovsky” a little later, in 1841) was in the landscape class of M. N. Vorobyov, one of the most famous painters of the early 19th century. Vorobyov became famous not only for his paintings, but also, to a large extent, for the whole galaxy of famous artists whom he trained (Aivazovsky among them). Vorobyov immediately noticed his student’s inclination towards the sea, and then supported and developed it in every possible way. He himself was one of the best landscape painters of his time, and Aivazovsky perceived and adopted many of his individual traits of skill. This can be clearly felt in the painting “Seashore at night. At the lighthouse” (1837).

While studying at the Academy, Aivazovsky also actively became acquainted with works of art collected in the Hermitage and private collections. At the same time, he participated in the Academic exhibition with two canvases: “Study of air over the sea,” his first painting, and “View of the seaside in the vicinity of St. Petersburg.”

Trip to Crimea

In the spring of 1838, Aivazovsky, by decision of the Academy Council, went to Crimea for two years to improve his skills. Naturally, the artist chooses Feodosia, the city where he spent his childhood, as his place of residence. There he writes a lot from life: creates sketches and small studies.

It was there that Aivazovsky painted his first large canvas from life: “Yalta” (1838). In this painting, the influence of another famous Russian landscape painter is noticeable, but it is in Crimea that the artist’s original style begins to take shape. This is more noticeable in the painting "Old Feodosia" (1839). In the canvases created on the Crimean coast, the artist strives to create an image of a specific place, to capture the unique, characteristic features of the place.

In 1839, Aivazovsky, at the invitation of Raevsky, went on a naval voyage to the shores of the Caucasus. Based on the impressions left from that trip, he would later write “N. N. Raevsky’s Landing at Subashi” (1839).

In 1840, Aivazovsky returned to St. Petersburg, where he officially completed his studies and was awarded the title of artist.

Italy

In the summer of 1840, Aivazovsky, as a boarder at the Academy, among others, went to Rome to improve his skills. There he travels a lot, making countless sketches and sketches, later finalizing them in the studio. Here the artist’s creative method finally takes shape: amazing sensitivity to the elusive shades of the state of the elements, the ability to remember a picture in detail, and then, in the workshop, refine the sketches based on what he saw. He created many canvases without sketches from life at all, from memory.

In Italy, in three years, he creates, among other paintings, more than 30 large-format canvases - his efficiency is truly extraordinary. These are views of Naples, Venice, Amalfi, Sorento. But, besides them, truly monumental works also appear: “The Creation of the World. Chaos” is the largest of all that he created in Italy. All the artist’s works are distinguished by an impeccable color composition, maintained in a single style and perfectly conveying all the nuances of the mood of the landscape.

Later, he would repeatedly return to Italian landscapes, creating new canvases from memory in the studio.

Northern Seas

Aivazovsky returned to his homeland as a world-famous artist. He was awarded the title of academician and also assigned to the Main Naval Staff. A voluminous and complex task immediately appears: to write down all the Russian seaports on the Baltic Sea. This is how a large series of paintings appears, among which are views of Kronstadt, Revel, Sveaborg. All of them combine documentary accuracy in conveying details and at the same time poetic spirituality.

“Revel” (1844) especially stands out among others - so transparent and light, with the most delicate shades of sky and water, the landscape is a lyrical work, an example of poetry.

In 1845, Aivazovsky, together with Litke's expedition, traveled to Turkey, Greece and Asia Minor. The result of this trip will later be several views of Constantinople, the coast of Turkey and the Bosphorus Strait; the most famous painting from those places is “St. George’s Monastery. Cape Fiolent” (1846). The paintings acquire a noticeable romantic tone, largely in tune with Pushkin’s poetry about the sea, and interesting effects of moonlight and sunlight.

Naval battles

While still a full-time painter at the Main Naval Staff, Aivazovsky created many battle paintings depicting naval battles of the Russian flotilla. In them he sang the glory of Russian weapons and the valor of sailors. The most famous paintings are “The Battle of Chesme on the night of June 25-26, 1770” (1848) and “The Battle in the Chios Strait on June 24, 1770” (1848), which depict key naval battles of the Russian Empire.

Aivazovsky also depicted episodes from the Russian-Turkish War and the defense of Sevastopol. In particular, several paintings were dedicated to the famous brig Mercury, which won an unequal battle with two Turkish battleships.

In battle paintings, the battle does not obscure the image of the sea: they are skillfully intertwined, and in the battle scene one of the heroes is the sea, majestic and unique.

Workshop in Feodosia

In 1846, Aivazovsky began building his own house and workshop in Feodosia. After Litke's expedition, he mainly lives and works there, visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow. He no longer paints from life; works only in the workshop, relying on his memory. He actively participates in public activities, organizes his own exhibitions, and in 1847 receives the title of professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.

In the 1860-70s, his creativity flourished. The paintings “Sea” (1864) and “Black Sea” (1881) were created. Their extraordinary power lies in the fact that, in addition to external beauty, Aivazovsky very accurately conveyed the internal state, character and mood of the sea, literally spiritualized it. This was noticed and highly appreciated by many prominent artists of the time.

Aivazovsky continued to create paintings until the end of his life. One of his last works, “Among the Waves” (1898), is considered by some to be the pinnacle of the artist’s work. Devoid of any details - fragments of masts, people - the image of the raging sea is majestic in its uncontrollability. Indeed, this is a grandiose result of the work of the great marine painter.

Features of creativity

Many artists in one way or another turned to the marine theme throughout their work. However, it was Aivazovsky who devoted himself completely to the sea. From the combination of this endless love for the sea and the ability to perceive the lightest shades of nature’s mood, the exceptional originality of his work grew.

Aivazovsky's biography and work began during the times of romanticism. The work of famous Russian poets of that time - Zhukovsky, Pushkin - largely influenced the formation of his style. However, of all his famous contemporaries, Aivazovsky was most impressed by the painter Karl Bryullov and his works. This was reflected later in the artist’s battle paintings.

Aivazovsky’s romanticism lies in the fact that, despite all the liveliness of his paintings, the emphasis is not on realism, authenticity, but on the general impression, on the mood of the landscape. Therefore, a lot of attention is paid to color: each painting is designed in a certain tone with an endless number of shades of variations, together creating a single whole, harmony of all elements of the landscape. Aivazovsky here paid special attention to the interaction of water and air: he painted both in one session, thereby creating a feeling of unity of space.

In later years, he began to gradually turn to realism: in the 70s these are just some elements, and the romantic direction predominates, but in the 80s they take up more and more space: showiness, colorfulness, dramatic plots disappear, and are replaced by calmer, more discreet landscapes, nevertheless also filled with poetry and charm.

The most famous paintings

Almost all of the most famous paintings have already been mentioned during the story about the biography and work of Aivazovsky. For children 10 years and older, it may be worth mentioning the artist’s most “circulated” painting, “The Ninth Wave” (1850). The dramatic plot - dawn at sea after a strong storm and people fighting the elements - glorifies the superiority, power of nature, and the powerlessness of man before its greatness.

Personal life

While talking about the biography and work of the artist Aivazovsky, we ignored his personal life. And he married in 1848 Yulia Yakovlevna Grefs. According to his own letters, everything happened unusually quickly - “within two weeks” after meeting him, he got married, and in marriage Yulia Yakovlevna gave him four daughters. However, family life did not work out, and after some time a divorce followed.

In 1882, Aivazovsky married a second time - to the widow of a Feodosia businessman, Anna Burnazyan. Despite the lack of secular education, she had a natural sense of tact and sensitivity, and cared for her husband with great warmth.

Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich, part 1 (1817 - 1900)

I.N. Kramskoy argued that Aivazovsky “is a star of the first magnitude, in any case, and not only here, but in the history of art in general.”
P.M. Tretyakov, wanting to buy a painting for his gallery, wrote to the artist: “...Give me your magic water, such that it would fully convey your incomparable talent.”
In painting, Aivazovsky was, first of all, a poet. The artist said about himself: “The plot of the painting is formed in my memory, like the plot of a poem by a poet, having made a sketch on a piece of paper, I begin to work and do not leave the canvas until I have expressed myself on it with my brush.”
Over his long life, he wrote up to 6,000 works. The best of them have entered the treasury of world culture. His paintings are in many galleries around the world

Portrait of the artist Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky
1841
Oil on canvas 72 x 54.2

Moscow

Ivan (Hovhannes) Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was born on July 17 (30), 1817 in Feodosia. Aivazovsky's ancestors moved from Western (Turkish) Armenia to southern Poland in the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, merchant Konstantin (Gevorg) Gaivazovsky moved from Poland to Feodosia. After the plague epidemic hit Feodosia in 1812, life was not easy for the Gaivazovsky family. Konstantin Hripsime’s wife, a skilled embroiderer, helped support the family, which included two daughters and three sons.

Aivazovsky received his primary education at an Armenian parish school, and then graduated from the Simferopol gymnasium, to which the city architect Koch helped place him. In 1833, with the assistance of the Feodosian mayor A. Kaznacheev, Aivazovsky went to St. Petersburg, and based on the children’s drawings presented, he was enrolled in the Academy of Arts in the landscape class of Professor M. N. Vorobyov. Then he studied in the battle class with A. Sauerweid and for a short time with the marine painter F. Tanner, invited from France.

Already in 1835, for “Study of Air over the Sea” he was awarded a silver medal of the second dignity. In 1837, for three sea views and especially for the painting “Calm” he was awarded the First Gold Medal and his academic course was shortened by two years with the condition that during this time he painted landscapes of a number of Crimean cities. As a result of the trip to Crimea, views of Yalta, Feodosia, Sevastopol, Kerch and the paintings “Moonlit Night in Gurzuf” (1839), “Storm”, “Sea Shore” (1840) appeared.

Aivazovsky I.K. Moonlit night in Crimea. Gurzuf.
1839
Sumy Art Museum

"Coast"
1840
Canvas, oil. 42.8 x 61.5 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery

Windmill on the seashore"
1837
Oil on canvas 67 x 96

Saint Petersburg

Seashore at night
1837
47 x 66 cm
Canvas, oil
Romanticism, realism
Russia
Feodosia. Feodosia Art Gallery named after. I.K.

Kerch
1839

In 1839, Aivazovsky took part as an artist in a naval campaign to the shores of the Caucasus. On board the ship he meets M.P. Lazarev, V.A. Kornilov, P.S. Nakhimov, V.N. Istomin, and gets the opportunity to study the designs of warships. Creates the first battle painting - “Landing at Subashi”.

“Landing N.N. Raevsky at Subashi"
1839
Canvas, oil. 66 x 97 cm
Samara Art Museum
There he also met the Decembrists M. M. Naryshkin, A. I. Odoevsky, N. N. Lorer, demoted to the rank and file, who took part in the case under Subashi. The artist’s Crimean works were successfully exhibited at an exhibition at the Academy of Arts, and as an incentive, I.K. Aivazovsky was given a business trip to Italy.

"Naval Battle of Navarino (October 2, 1827)"
1846
Oil on canvas 222 x 234

Saint Petersburg

"Naval Battle of Vyborg June 29, 1790"
1846
Canvas, oil. 222 x 335 cm
Higher Naval Engineering School named after. F.E.Dzerzhinsky

"Naval Battle of Reval (9 May 1790)"
1846
Oil on canvas 222 x 335
Naval School named after. F. E. Dzerzhinsky
Saint Petersburg
Russia

In 1840, Aivazovsky went to Italy. There he meets prominent figures of Russian literature, art, and science - Gogol, Alexander Ivanov, Botkin, Panaev. At the same time, in 1841, the artist changed his last name Gaivazovsky to Aivazovsky.

Azure Grotto. Naples
1841
74 x 100 cm
Canvas, oil
Romanticism, realism
Russia
Donetsk. Donetsk Art Museum,

View of the Venetian Lagoon
1841 76x118

The artist’s activity in Rome begins with studying and copying the works of past masters; he works a lot on full-scale sketches. In one of his letters, Aivazovsky said: “I, like a bee, collect honey from a flower garden.” Throughout his life, he returned to the landscapes of Italy; the harmonious coexistence of man and sea in this country was imprinted in his memory as an example of beauty. Aivazovsky created about fifty large paintings in Italy. The artist’s success was brought to him by the romantic seascapes “Storm”, “Chaos”, “Bay of Naples on a Moonlit Night” (1839) and others. His painting “Chaos” was acquired by the Vatican Museum. Pope Gregory XVI awarded the artist a gold medal. The artist’s talent is recognized by art connoisseurs and colleagues. A. Ivanov notes Aivazovsky’s abilities in depicting the sea, engraver F. Jordan claims that Aivazovsky is the pioneer of the genre of marine painting in Rome.

"Chaos. World creation"
1841
Oil on canvas 106 x 75
Museum of the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation
Venice. Island of St. Lazarus

"Bay of Naples"
1841
Oil on canvas 73 x 108

View of Constantinople in the evening light
1846 120x189.5

"View of Constantinople by moonlight"
1846
Oil on canvas 124 x 192
State Russian Museum
Saint Petersburg
Russia

1850
Oil on canvas 121 x 190

Feodosia

"The Bay of Naples on a Moonlit Night"
1892
Oil on canvas 45 x 73
Collection of A. Shahinyan
NY

In 1843, the artist began his journey with an exhibition of paintings throughout Europe. “Rome, Naples, Venice, Paris, London, Amsterdam awarded me the most flattering encouragements,” recalled Aivazovsky. One of them is the title of academician awarded by the Amsterdam Academy of Fine Arts. As the only representative of Russian art, he participated in the international exhibition organized at the Louvre. Ten years later, he was the first foreign artist to become a Knight of the Legion of Honor.

"Shipwreck"
1843
Oil on canvas 116 x 189
Feodosia Art Gallery named after. I.K. Aivazovsky
Feodosia
Russia

In 1844, two years ahead of schedule, Aivazovsky returned to Russia. Upon returning to his homeland, the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts awarded him the title of academician. The Navy Department awarded him the honorary title of artist of the Main Naval Staff with the right to wear an admiralty uniform and assigned him “an extensive and complex order” - to paint all Russian military ports on the Baltic Sea. During the winter months of 1844 - 1845. Aivazovsky fulfilled the government order and created a number of other beautiful marinas.

"Russian squadron on the Sevastopol roadstead"
1846
Canvas, oil. 121 x 191 cm
State Russian Museum

In 1845, together with the expedition of F.P. Litke, Aivazovsky visited the coasts of Turkey and Asia Minor. During this voyage, he made a large number of pencil drawings, which served him for many years as material for creating paintings, which he always painted in the studio. Returning from the expedition, Aivazovsky leaves for Feodosia. “It's a feeling or a habit, it's second nature to me. “I willingly spend the winter in St. Petersburg,” the artist wrote, “but as soon as it blows in the spring, I am attacked by homesickness - I am drawn to the Crimea, to the Black Sea.”

View of Feodosia
1845
70 x 96 cm
Canvas, oil
Romanticism, realism
Russia
Yerevan. State Art Gallery of Armenia

Feodosia. Sunrise
1852 60x90

In Feodosia, the artist built a studio house on the seashore and finally settled here. In winter, he usually visited St. Petersburg and other Russian cities with his exhibitions, and sometimes traveled abroad. During his long life, Aivazovsky made a number of trips: he visited Italy, Paris and other European cities several times, worked in the Caucasus, sailed to the shores of Asia Minor, was in Egypt, and at the end of his life, in 1898, he traveled to America. During his sea voyages, he enriched his observations, and drawings accumulated in his folders. The artist spoke about his creative method: “A person who is not gifted with a memory that preserves the impressions of living nature can be an excellent copyist, a living photographic apparatus, but never a true artist. 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. The plot of the picture is formed in my memory, like the plot of a poem by a poet...”

Meeting of fishermen on the shores of the Gulf of Naples 1842 58x85
"Fishermen's Meeting"
Canvas, oil. 58 x 85 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery

"Gondelier on the Sea at Night"
1843
Oil on canvas 73 x 112
State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan
Kazan
Russia

"Venetian Lagoon. View of the island of San Giorgio"
1844
Wood, oil. 22.5 x 34.5 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery

Mill on the seashore 1851 50x57

"Sunrise in Feodosia"
1855
Oil on canvas 82 x 117

Yerevan

"St. George's Monastery. Cape Fiolent"
1846
Oil on canvas 122.5 x 192.5
Feodosia Art Gallery named after. I.K. Aivazovsky
Feodosia

View of Odessa on a moonlit night
1846
122 x 190 cm
Canvas, oil
Romanticism, realism
Russia

"View of Odessa from the sea"
1865
Oil on canvas 45 x 58
State Art Gallery of Armenia
Yerevan

Aivazovsky’s painting of the forties and fifties was marked by the strong influence of the romantic traditions of K. P. Bryullov, which affected the artist’s painting skills. Like Bryullov, he strives to create grandiose colorful canvases. This was very clearly reflected in the battle painting “Battle of Chesme”, written by him in 1848, dedicated to the outstanding naval battle. The battle is depicted at night. In the depths of the bay, burning ships of the Turkish fleet are visible, one of them at the moment of the explosion. Covered in fire and smoke, the wreckage of the ship flies into the air, turning into a blazing fire. In the foreground, in a dark silhouette, stands the flagship of the Russian fleet, to which, saluting, a boat with the crew of Lieutenant Ilyin, who blew up his fire-ship among the Turkish flotilla, approaches. On the water you can make out the wreckage of Turkish ships with groups of sailors calling for help, and other details.

"Battle of Chesme June 25-26, 1770"
1848
Oil on canvas 220 x 188
Feodosia Art Gallery named after. I.K. Aivazovsky
Feodosia

Review of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849
1886 131x249

"Brig Mercury attacked by two Turkish ships"
1892
Canvas, oil

“The brig Mercury, after defeating two Turkish ships, meets with the Russian squadron”
1848
Oil on canvas 123 x 190
State Russian Museum
Saint Petersburg

"Storm at Sea at Night"
1849
Oil on canvas 89 x 106
Palaces-museums and parks of Petrodvorets
Peterhof, Leningrad region

Aivazovsky's contribution to battle painting is significant. He captured episodes of the Sevastopol defense, and repeatedly turned to the heroic exploits of the Russian navy: “Every victory of our troops on land or at sea,” the artist wrote, “makes me happy, as a Russian at heart, and gives me an idea of ​​how an artist can depict it on canvas...”

"Storm"
1850
Oil on canvas 82 x 117
State Art Gallery of Armenia
Yerevan

Aivazovsky was the last and most prominent representative of the romantic movement in Russian painting. His best romantic works of the second half of the 40s and 50s are: “Storm on the Black Sea” (1845), “St. George’s Monastery” (1846), “Entrance into the Sevastopol Bay” (1851).

Entrance to Sevastopol Bay 1852

View of Constantinople by moonlight
1846
124 x 192 cm
Canvas, oil
Romanticism, realism
Russia
Saint Petersburg. State Russian Museum

View of the Leander Tower in Constantinople
1848
Canvas, oil
58 x 45.3
Tretyakov Gallery

The largest marine painter in Russian painting of the 19th century, I.K. Aivazovsky, traveled a lot and often included images of famous architectural structures in his seascapes. The Leandrova (Maiden) Tower depicted in the painting was built in the 12th century on a small rock at the entrance to the strait of Istanbul harbor and has long served as a lighthouse and mooring place for ships. It is still used as a lighthouse today. The tower rises against the background of a golden sky, the rays of the setting sun paint the surface of the sea water in pearlescent tones, and the silhouettes of the buildings of the ancient city appear in the distance. Soft sunlight romanticizes the landscape created by the artist.

"Moonlight night"
1849
Oil on canvas 123 x 192
State Russian Museum
Saint Petersburg

Sunset on the sea
1856
121.5x188

“Night in Crimea. View of Ayudag"
1859
Oil on canvas 63 x 83
Odessa Art Museum
Odessa

Storm
1857
100x49

The fifties are associated with the Crimean War of 1853 - 1856. As soon as word of the Battle of Sinop reached Aivazovsky, he immediately went to Sevastopol and asked the participants in the battle about all the circumstances of the case. Soon, two paintings by Aivazovsky were exhibited in Sevastopol, depicting the Battle of Sinop at night and during the day. Admiral Nakhimov, highly appreciating Aivazovsky’s work, especially the night battle, said: “The picture was extremely well done.”

“Sinop battle (day version)”
1853
Canvas, oil

“Battle of Sinop November 18, 1853 (the night after the battle)”
1853
Canvas, oil. 220 x 331 cm
Central Naval Museum

Capture of the Turkish military transport Messina by the steamer "Russia" on the Black Sea on December 13, 1877

The battle of the Vesta steamship with the Turkish battleship Fehti-Buland in the Black Sea on July 11, 1877

In Aivazovsky’s work one can find paintings on a wide variety of topics, for example, images of the nature of Ukraine. He loved the boundless Ukrainian steppes and inspiredly depicted them in his works (“Chumatsky convoy” (1868), “Ukrainian landscape” (1868)), coming close to the landscape of the masters of Russian ideological realism. Aivazovsky’s proximity to Gogol, Shevchenko, and Sternberg played a role in this attachment to Ukraine.

Chumaks on vacation
1885

Convoy in the steppe

"Ukrainian landscape with Chumaks under the moon"
1869
Canvas, oil. 60 x 82 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery

Windmills in the Ukrainian Steppe at sunset
1862 51x60

"A Flock of Sheep in a Storm"
1861
Oil on canvas 76 x 125
Collection of A. Shahinyan
NY

Neighborhoods of Yalta at night
1866

Neighborhoods of Yalta
1863
20.2x28

Storm on the North Sea
1865 269x195

Sunset on the sea
1866

Moonlit night on the Bosphorus
1894 49.7x75.8

After the storm. Moon rise
1894 41x58

“View of the sea from the mountains at sunset”
1864
Oil on canvas 122 x 170
State Russian Museum
Saint Petersburg

"Global flood"
1864
Oil on canvas 246.5 x 369
State Russian Museum
Saint Petersburg

"The Death of Pompeii"
1889
Oil on canvas 128 x 218
Rostov Regional Museum of Fine Arts
Rostov
to be continued...

Http://gallerix.ru/album/aivazovsky
http://www.artsait.ru/art/a/aivazovsky/main.htm

Communication with nature gives a person a lot of pleasant impressions. The ancient Greeks said: “By looking at beauty and hearing about beauty, a person improves.”

The romantic artist Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky had a special gift for understanding nature. The sea was for him one of the most striking wonders of nature. Marina is an independent type of landscape painting. The word "marine" (from the French word "marine") means a painting depicting a sea view. A marine painter is an artist depicting the sea.

At an early age, children absorb any new information like a sponge. It's time to take advantage of this little man's ability for his own good and start learning English!

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Acquaintance with the world of romanticism - the art of passion, the expression of the power of natural forces and human will, contributes to the emergence of aesthetic experiences in children and the formation of moral feelings. Parents can invite school-age children to take a sea voyage with the marine painter I.K. Aivazovsky, get acquainted with his romantic seascapes in order to teach them to hear and see the many colors, sounds, shapes, and transformations in nature.

The first lesson “Russian marine painter I.K. Aivazovsky: creativity and biography for children.”

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is a master of seascape.

The artist was born in 1817 in Feodosia. His childhood was spent on the shores of the Black Sea. The family moved to Crimea from Moldova. Father Gevorg Gayvazyan was a merchant of the 3rd guild, mother Agrafen (Hripsime) worked as an embroiderer. Since childhood, Ivan was fond of playing the violin and drawing.

It so happened that the mayor Alexei Ivanovich Kaznacheev became aware of the boy’s amazing abilities, and he played a significant role in the artist’s life. In 1830, A.I. Kaznacheev was appointed governor of Tavria and transferred to service in Simferopol. He sent the talented boy to the Simferopol gymnasium. In 1833, after graduating from high school, Aivazovsky was sent to study at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he received painting lessons from Professor M. N. Vorobyov, and became acquainted with the painting techniques of K. Bryullov and S. Shchedrin.

In 1834, Aivazovsky was seconded to the French painter F. Tanner as an assistant. It soon became clear that the student had surpassed his teacher. At the academic exhibition, Aivazovsky’s painting “Study above the Clouds” received universal recognition. Soon F. Tanner, overwhelmed by the victory of his assistant, did everything to turn the king himself against him. The young artist was in danger of great trouble. Only the intercession of Professor A.I. Sauerweid helped.

He graduated from the Academy with a gold medal, I.K. Aivazovsky went abroad as a boarder of the Academy of Arts, making trips to Germany, France, Spain, Holland, and Portugal. His paintings are exhibited at major exhibitions in Europe. In 1844, the artist was awarded the title of academician in marine species. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of artistic creativity, he opens his first personal exhibition in his homeland, Feodosia.

In 1857, Aivazovsky received the Order of the Legion of Honor from the French government. In 1865 in Feodosia he opened a “General Art Workshop” at his workshop. From 1868 to 1869 is working on laying a railway to Feodosia. In 1876 he was elected a member of the Florence Academy of Arts. In 1880, he opened an art gallery in his homeland at his home. Over the course of his entire creative life, Aivazovsky painted about 6,000 paintings, which today decorate famous galleries around the world.

Ivan (Hovhannes) Konstantinovich Aivazovsky bore the surname Gaivazovsky from birth. In 1840, together with his brother Gabriel, he changed the spelling of his last name and became Aivazovsky.

Aivazovsky loved to improvise and played the violin beautifully.

The artist painted landscapes to music, which helped him find the rhythm of his work. He could paint a picture in a few hours, in one go.

Very often, the artist began painting a landscape with an image of the sky, rather than the sea. The sky tuned him up and suggested the plots of his sea voyages.

Aivazovsky was an eyewitness to the military exercises of the Black Sea Fleet, so he dedicated some of his paintings to the exploits of Russian sailors (“Battle of Chesme” (1848), “Battle of Navarrene” (1848)…)

In his works, the artist depicted ships struggling with the waves, the movements of waves and light, various states of the sea elements...

"The Ninth Wave" (1850)

The painting is dedicated to a storm that the artist himself saw and experienced during one of his travels. This storm occurred in 1844 in the Bay of Biscay. Then European and St. Petersburg newspapers reported the wreck of the ship and the death of the young marine painter.

The size of the canvas (221x332) gives the viewer the impression of being among the huge and heaving sea waves.

People, exhausted after the shipwreck, are barely holding on to the wreckage of the mast. A few more seconds and the ninth wave will overtake them.

One of the survivors sees the shore and waves a red handkerchief asking for salvation. And then the morning comes. The sunrise, illuminating the sky and waves with bright sunlight, gives the victims hope of salvation.

This is what the young painter wrote about this event: “Fear did not suppress my ability to perceive and retain in my memory the impressions made on me by the storm, as if by a wondrous living picture.”

Tell your child about your impressions of the picture. Ask him the following questions:

• How is the sea depicted?
• What feelings does it evoke?
• What time of day did the artist show?
• Can sailors see the shore?
• Why is one of the sailors waving a red handkerchief?
• Would you like to be in the place of the victims?
• Can man always control nature?

Before us is a raging sea element. The ship, tilted to the side, surrendering to the merciless, angry waves, is wrecked. The sailors managed to get into the boat, but the waves carried them to the rocks. In anticipation of danger, people trying to escape try to turn around and ward off the blow. Finding themselves in the harsh embrace of the sea, the sailors realize that their death is inevitable. However, not everyone has accepted their bitter fate and obediently looks into the eyes of fate.

The artist draws different characters: the lookout stood up, trying to examine the rocks in order to find a flat place among them, a small bay where the boat could be directed. A sailor standing with an oar at full height is ready to fight to the end and strictly follow the instructions of the lookout. The rower steers the boat with all his strength. Someone waves his hat, welcoming his near end. And suddenly, over the living bubbling sea, through the waves and clouds, the sun broke through, and with it the saving radiance of the rainbow appeared. This rainbow gave the sailors hope of salvation.

Describe the picture. Tell your child about the feelings you are experiencing? Ask him a few questions:

• What is the name of this painting? What would you call this painting? (“Alone with the Elements”, “Shipwreck”...)
• Why did the artist choose this name? (The rainbow was a sign of hope)
• What happened to the ship?
• How do sailors behave? What character qualities do they have?
• Do you think the sailors will be saved?

Do not forget to draw a joint conclusion: These courageous people survived because they know how to deal with difficulties. The name itself serves as a clue. Hope dies last.

The painting was painted by the artist 10 days before his 80th birthday.

The sea element is represented by the artist in the image of an abyss, beyond the control of the human mind. Giant wave-shafts play among themselves, enjoying their indomitable power. On the one hand, the artist shows the beauty and grandeur of the water element, on the other – mercilessness, unbridled power, primitive chaos.

An artist in love with the sea conveys to us the character, the mood of the sea, makes the viewer experience a feeling of delight and a sense of fear in front of this unknown force.

Ask your child to describe the sea. Ask the following questions:

• Does he like the sea? What is it like? (calm, mirror-smooth, excited, serene, raging...)
• What is sea calm?
• Which paintings by Aivazovsky depict calm seas?
• How does he feel about sea travel? Why are they dangerous?

Aivazovsky's creativity can give a lot for raising children. When meeting the artist’s paintings, the child feels emotional uplift, joy, and delight. This is the beauty of feelings, experiences, thoughts, comprehended not only by the mind, but also by the heart.

I wish parents and children wonderful experiences with nature!

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is a famous Russian marine painter, author of more than six thousand canvases. Professor, academician, philanthropist, honorary member of the Academies of Arts of St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, Rome, Stuttgart, Paris and Florence.

The future artist was born in Feodosia, in 1817, into the family of Gevork and Hripsime Gaivazovsky. Hovhannes’s mother (the Armenian version of the name Ivan) was a purebred Armenian, and his father came from Armenians who migrated from Western Armenia, which found itself under Turkish rule, to Galicia. Gevork settled in Feodosia under the name Gaivazovsky, writing it down in the Polish manner.

Hovhannes’s father was an amazing man, enterprising and savvy. Dad knew Turkish, Hungarian, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and even Gypsy languages. In Crimea, Gevork Ayvazyan, who became Konstantin Grigorievich Gaivazovsky, very successfully engaged in trade. In those days, Feodosia grew rapidly, acquiring the status of an international port, but all the successes of the enterprising merchant were reduced to zero by the plague epidemic that broke out after the war with.

By the time Ivan was born, the Gaivazovskys already had a son, Sargis, who took the name Gabriel as a monk, then three more daughters were born, but the family lived in great need. Repsime's mother helped her husband by selling her elaborate embroideries. Ivan grew up as a smart and dreamy child. In the morning, he woke up and ran to the seashore, where he could spend hours watching ships and small fishing boats entering the port, admiring the extraordinary beauty of the landscape, sunsets, storms and calms.

The boy painted his first pictures on the sand, and after a few minutes they were washed away by the surf. Then he armed himself with a piece of coal and decorated the white walls of the house where the Gaivazovskys lived with drawings. The father looked, frowning at his son’s masterpieces, but did not scold him, but thought deeply. From the age of ten, Ivan worked in a coffee shop, helping his family, which did not at all prevent him from growing up as an intelligent and talented child.

As a child, Aivazovsky himself learned to play the violin, and, of course, constantly drew. Fate brought him together with the Feodosia architect Yakov Koch, and this moment is considered to be a turning point, defining in the biography of the future brilliant marine painter. Noticing the boy's artistic abilities, Koch supplied the young artist with pencils, paints and paper, and gave him his first drawing lessons. The second patron of Ivan was the mayor of Feodosia, Alexander Kaznacheev. The governor appreciated Vanya’s skillful playing of the violin, because he himself often played music.

In 1830, Kaznacheev sent Aivazovsky to the Simferopol gymnasium. In Simferopol, the wife of the Taurida governor, Natalya Naryshkina, drew attention to the talented child. Ivan began to visit her home often, and the society lady put her library, a collection of engravings, and books on painting and art at his disposal. The boy worked incessantly, copied famous works, drew etudes and sketches.

With the assistance of the portrait painter Salvator Tonchi, Naryshkina turned to Olenin, the president of the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, with a request to place the boy in the academy with full board. In the letter, she described in detail Aivazovsky’s talents, his life situation and attached drawings. Olenin appreciated the young man’s talent, and soon Ivan was enrolled in the Academy of Arts with the personal permission of the emperor, who also saw the drawings sent.

At the age of 13, Ivan Aivazovsky became the youngest student at the Academy in Vorobyov’s landscape class. The experienced teacher immediately appreciated the magnitude and power of Aivazovsky’s talent and, to the best of his ability and ability, gave the young man a classical art education, a kind of theoretical and practical basis for the virtuoso painter that Ivan Konstantinovich soon became.

Very quickly the student surpassed the teacher, and Vorobiev recommended Aivazovsky to Philip Tanner, a French marine painter who arrived in St. Petersburg. Tanner and Aivazovsky did not get along in character. The Frenchman dumped all the rough work on the student, but Ivan still found time for his own paintings.

Painting

In 1836, an exhibition was held where the works of Tanner and the young Aivazovsky were presented. One of Ivan Konstantinovich’s works was awarded a silver medal, he was also praised by one metropolitan newspaper, but the Frenchman was reproached for mannerisms. Philip, burning with anger and envy, complained to the emperor about a disobedient student who had no right to exhibit his works at an exhibition without the knowledge of the teacher.

Formally, the Frenchman was right, and Nicholas ordered the paintings to be removed from the exhibition, and Aivazovsky himself fell out of favor at court. The talented artist was supported by the best minds of the capital, with whom he managed to make acquaintance: President of the Academy Olenin. As a result, the matter was decided in favor of Ivan, for whom Alexander Sauerweid, who taught painting to the imperial offspring, stood up.

Nikolai awarded Aivazovsky and even sent him and his son Konstantin to the Baltic Fleet. The Tsarevich studied the basics of maritime affairs and fleet management, and Aivazovsky specialized in the artistic side of the issue (it is difficult to write battle scenes and ships without knowing their structure).

Sauerweid became Aivazovsky's teacher in battle painting. A few months later, in September 1837, the talented student received a gold medal for the painting “Calm”, after which the leadership of the Academy decided to release the artist from the educational institution, since it could no longer give him anything.

At the age of 20, Ivan Aivazovsky became the youngest graduate of the Academy of Arts (according to the rules, he was supposed to study for another three years) and went on an paid trip: first to his native Crimea for two years, and then to Europe for six years. The happy artist returned to his native Feodosia, then traveled around the Crimea and took part in the amphibious landing in Circassia. During this time he painted many works, including peaceful seascapes and battle scenes.

After a short stay in St. Petersburg in 1840, Aivazovsky left for Venice, and from there to Florence and Rome. During this journey, Ivan Konstantinovich met with his older brother Gabriel, a monk on the island of St. Lazarus, and became acquainted with. In Italy, the artist studied the works of great masters and wrote a lot himself. He exhibited his paintings everywhere, and many were sold out immediately.

The Pope himself wanted to buy his masterpiece “Chaos”. Hearing about this, Ivan Konstantinovich personally presented the painting to the pontiff. Touched by Gregory XVI, he presented the painter with a gold medal, and the fame of the talented marine painter thundered throughout Europe. Then the artist visited Switzerland, Holland, England, Portugal and Spain. On the way home, the ship on which Aivazovsky was sailing was caught in a storm, and a terrible storm broke out. For some time there were rumors that the marine painter had died, but, fortunately, he managed to return home safe and sound.

Aivazovsky had the happy fate of making acquaintances and even friendships with many outstanding people of that era. The artist was closely acquainted with Nikolai Raevsky, Kiprensky, Bryullov, Zhukovsky, not to mention his friendship with the imperial family. And yet connections, wealth, fame did not seduce the artist. The main things in his life were always family, ordinary people, and his favorite job.

Having become rich and famous, Aivazovsky did a lot for his native Feodosia: he founded an art school and an art gallery, a museum of antiquities, sponsored the construction of a railway, and a city water supply fed from his personal source. At the end of his life, Ivan Konstantinovich remained as active and active as in his youth: he visited America with his wife, worked a lot, helped people, was engaged in charity, improvement of his native city and teaching.

Personal life

The personal life of the great painter is full of ups and downs. There were three loves, three women in his destiny. Aivazovsky’s first love was a dancer from Venice, world famous Maria Taglioni, who was 13 years older than him. The artist in love went to Venice to follow his muse, but the relationship was short-lived: the dancer chose ballet over the young man’s love.

In 1848, out of great love, Ivan Konstantinovich married Julia Grevs, the daughter of an Englishman who was the court physician of Nicholas I. The young couple went to Feodosia, where they had a magnificent wedding. In this marriage, Aivazovsky had four daughters: Alexandra, Maria, Elena and Zhanna.

In the photo the family looks happy, but the idyll was short-lived. After the birth of her daughters, the wife changed in character, suffering from a nervous illness. Julia wanted to live in the capital, attend balls, give parties, lead a social life, and the artist’s heart belonged to Feodosia and ordinary people. As a result, the marriage ended in divorce, which did not happen often at that time. With difficulty, the artist managed to maintain relationships with his daughters and their families: his grumpy wife turned the girls against their father.

The artist met his last love at an advanced age: in 1881 he was 65 years old, and his chosen one was only 25 years old. Anna Nikitichna Sarkizova became Aivazovsky's wife in 1882 and was with him until the very end. Her beauty was immortalized by her husband in the painting “Portrait of the Artist’s Wife.”

Death

The great marine painter, who became a world celebrity at the age of 20, died at home in Feodosia at the age of 82, in 1900. The unfinished painting “Ship Explosion” remained on the easel.

Best paintings

• "The Ninth Wave";
• "Shipwreck";
• "Night in Venice";
• "Brig Mercury attacked by two Turkish ships";
• “Moonlit night in Crimea. Gurzuf";
• "Moonlit Night on Capri";
• "Moonlit Night on the Bosphorus";
• "Walking on the Waters";
• "Chesme fight";
• "Moonwalk"
• "Bosphorus on a Moonlit Night";
• "A.S. Pushkin on the Black Sea coast";
• "Rainbow";
• "Sunrise in the Harbor";
• "Ship in the middle of a storm";
• "Chaos. World creation;
• "Calm";
• "Venice Night";
• "Global flood".