Aivazovsky paintings with titles. Technical question: How did Aivazovsky paint his paintings and how to view them correctly
Aivazovsky said that the sea is his life. The artist believed that, having lived three hundred years, he would still see something new in the sea even after such a time. Aivazovsky was not the only one who gave his life to the sea, but only he managed to give himself entirely to this magical element. Love for the sea and talent allowed us to convey all the beauty of the sea element. Over the course of his entire life, Aivazovsky, just imagine, painted about six thousand paintings, most of which depicted the sea. This article will examine the most famous paintings by Aivazovsky, or rather ten of them, because it is impossible to describe all six thousand in one article.
Storm at sea at night
Opens the Top 10 most famous paintings by Aivazovsky "Storm at Sea at Night". The painting has become an example of emotional painting, which clearly and in detail conveys the character of the sea element and shows its temperament. The picture can be called a living creature that has gone wild in the vast expanses of the sea. The “Storms at Sea at Night” palette amazes, first of all, with its combination of golden and dark shades. The night moon covers the waves of the sea, as if with “trembling gold.” The ship itself is presented as if it were alien, among the beauty of the sea.
"Sea. Koktebel", "Sea. Koktebel Bay" or simply "Koktebel Bay"- one of the most beautiful paintings Aivazovsky, with the creation of which the best years of his childhood were associated. In the picture the author depicts his homeland - Feodosia. This is where he spent his childhood. Art connoisseurs say that it was while painting this painting that Ivan Aivazovsky achieved the true mastery of a “marine painter.” In the picture the author successfully combined pink, orange and lilac colors, which made it possible to give the picture a unique warmth coming from the Black Sea, which it radiates to this day.
Rainbow
An equally famous painting by Aivazovsky is the canvas "Rainbow", which is currently stored in Tretyakov Gallery. The picture depicts a storm and people’s attempt to escape from the power of the sea. Aivazovskaya takes the viewer to the very epicenter of a powerful hurricane that does not want to stop. But still, in last moment a rainbow appears - it becomes hope for sailors desperately trying to survive.
Sunset on the sea
One of the most famous paintings by the marine painter Aivazovsky - "Sunset at sea", now stored in the city of Kostroma - in Kostroma art museum. The artist’s skill was appreciated by Tretyakov and Stasov. First of all, the painting was attracted by the living movement of nature, which the author was able to show by depicting the expanses of sky and sea. Attention is drawn to the endless variability of the shapes of the sea surface. Somewhere the picture shows calm calm, and somewhere – raging elements. The steamer seems alien among the “wild” marine nature.
Naval battle of Navarino
Aivazovsky painted not only “peaceful marinas”, but also loved to depict battle scenes of key naval battles. One of these works was the famous painting by Aivazovsky - "Naval Battle of Navarino". Powerful Russian fleet together with his allies in battle he opposed the Turkish fleet, which was ultimately completely defeated. The victory over the Turkish fleet accelerated the development of the national liberation war in Greece and amazed Aivazovsky. Having heard the feats, the author embodied the battle on canvas. The picture conveys all the cruelty of a naval battle: boarding, volleys of naval artillery guns, debris, drowning sailors and fire.
Sinking ship
Among the most famous paintings by Aivazovsky, "Sinking ship"- one of the most tragic works, because it shows the death of a sailing ship, which cannot contain the full power of the sea elements. The shipwreck is conveyed in such detail that it makes any viewer worry about the crew of the unfortunate ship. A small ship cannot withstand such large and powerful waves. Aivazovsky paid special attention to detail when writing. To see them, you have to look at the picture for hours and only then can you feel all the pain of the ship and the sailors fighting death.
Bay of Naples
During a trip to Italy, Aivazovsky painted one of his most famous paintings - "Bay of Naples". Europe was so amazed by the skill of the Russian author that it called him one of best artists throughout Europe. King Ferdinand Charles and Pope Gregory XVI personally expressed a desire to see the painting by the Russian author. After what they saw, they were amazed by Aivazovsky’s skill, and the Pope presented him with a gold medal. While painting the painting, Aivazovsky finally identified himself as a marine painter who uses methods of creating paintings from memory.
Brig "Mercury"
One of the most famous and at the same time most battle paintings by Aivazovsky is the canvas "Brig "Mercury", attacked by two Turkish ships." The painting depicts the battle of the Mercury against two Turkish battleships, which took place in 1829 off the coast of the Bosphorus. Despite the enemy's ten-fold advantage in guns, the brig emerged victorious and inspired Aivazovsky to paint a picture that immortalized the memory of Russian sailors. Now the painting is stored in the Feodosia Art Gallery of Aivazovsky.
View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus Bay
"View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus Gulf." During his trip to Ottoman Empire, Aivazovsky liked it most great city and its ports, the author did not ignore the Bosphorus Bay itself.
Returning home, Aivazovsky painted a painting, which in 2012 was valued at more than three million pounds sterling or 155 million Russian rubles. The painting depicts in detail the port of Constantinople, a mosque, Turkish ships, the sun, which is about to disappear behind the horizon, but most of all the blue water surface attracts and allows the canvas to be called one of the most famous paintings by Aivazovsky.
Ninth va
Without any doubt, Aivazovsky’s most famous painting was "The Ninth Wave". At the moment, the painting is in storage at the Russian Museum. Art lovers say that it is in this painting that the romantic nature of the great artist is conveyed in most detail. The author shows what the sailors had to endure after their ship was wrecked by the power of the sea. Bright colors Aivazovsky depicted all the power and strength not only of the sea elements, but also the strength of the people who managed to overcome it and survive.
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is one of the most famous marine painters in the world. His canvases are imbued with a love of life and reverence for the forces of nature. The artist’s landscapes represent the power of unbridled elements, gloomy thoughts about the present and subtle hints of a bright future. A striking example The painting “The Black Sea” is a psychological marina: Aivazovsky allows the viewer to feel the atmosphere of an impending storm and invites them to think seriously about the meaning of life.
Creative path
I. Aivazovsky was born in the first quarter of the nineteenth century in Feodosia, a city on the Black Sea coast. The love of art did its job, and at the age of thirty, the painter became a professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
Throughout his life, Ivan Aivazovsky wrote works dedicated to the sea, among them “The Ninth Wave”, “ Chesme fight" and night. Blue Wave." The painting "Black Sea" is no less famous: Aivazovsky depicted storm waves and a barely visible ship in the distance. You can see a true masterpiece in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Description of Aivazovsky's painting "Black Sea"
The plot of the film is extremely simple. Dividing the canvas into two equal parts, the artist depicted a gloomy sky and a stormy sea. It is easier to understand the author’s intention if you know the first name of the marina: “A storm is beginning to break out on the Black Sea.” Now the details become visible, in which the psychologism of the plot is hidden: foaming waves in the foreground and a small, almost invisible ship on the horizon.
Describing characteristics creativity of Ivan Konstantinovich, many art critics use the term “Aivazovsky wave,” which is understood as a masterly depiction of foaming ridges. It is they who add realism to the picture and create an atmosphere of anxiety that always haunts people faced with unbridled elements. Dark, growing waves in the foreground evoke a feeling of anxiety: it seems that the whole world has frozen in anticipation of something inevitable. A dim ray of light breaks through the thick clouds here, drawing attention to the raging waters.
The sky, like the water, is dynamic: the viewer can literally see the clouds gathering. The bright horizon hints that the surface of the sea was once illuminated by a friendly sun. The weather is changing before our eyes - with this the artist speaks about the variability of life.
Most of Aivazovsky's paintings feature ships. They enliven the plot, bring it closer to life real people. This is confirmed by the painting “The Black Sea”: Aivazovsky, with one movement of his brush, managed to show the viewer the fate of several dozen people. The distant ship, which can be seen on the horizon, went to sea quite recently. The storm took the sailors by surprise, but it is too late to turn back: they will have to courageously fight the elements in order to save the lives of themselves and their comrades.
Psychologism of the painting "Black Sea"
The true meaning of a landscape is difficult to understand without much thought, but this is not the case with the work that Aivazovsky wrote, “The Black Sea.” Analyzing the painting does not require any special skills: the master managed to convey the idea to everyone. The atmosphere of anxiety and anticipation of danger represents human life. The distant ship is a symbol of the man himself: he set off on a journey, not knowing what awaits him ahead. Difficulties that no one can do without life story, are waves. The situation that caused the storm will be different for each person.
The viewer does not know what the future holds for the ship. The artist is silent about this. However, the bright sky on the horizon gives hope for a happy outcome. “Life is difficult and dangerous, but everything will work out” - this is what the painting “Black Sea” tells the viewer. Aivazovsky wrote it at the age of 64, when he began to seriously think about the meaning of human existence.
Seascape as the meaning of life
Despite the fact that the artist also created city landscapes, the main and most famous genre of painting in the work of Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is the marina. Filled with reflections on the long human journey, the master’s paintings artistic word enjoy deserved popularity among art lovers from all over the world. True connoisseurs of the seascape will be delighted by the reproduction of Aivazovsky’s painting “The Black Sea”, because you will never get tired of thinking about life while enjoying the view of the stormy waves!
if you love nautical theme, we invite you to look at Aivazovsky’s paintings - photos with names (the most famous) are presented below.. We intertwined the milestones of life with the creativity and best paintings of the marine painter.
Black Sea (1881)
This is a mature work, created by him at the age of 64. At first, the marine painter called the painting “A Storm Begins to Play on the Black Sea,” later shortening it to “The Black Sea.” Even the most ardent critics and contemporaries of Aivazovsky’s work spoke highly of this painting, who believed that romanticism had come to an end.
Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich (Gayvazovsky) is the son of an Armenian entrepreneur. Born in Feodosia in 1817, he died there in 1900. He studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts under M.N. Vorobyov and F. Tanner (French marine painter). He worked in Crimea as a “pensioner” of the Academy (1830-1840), at the same time he visited England, France and several other countries.
Another painting painted during the best years of Aivazovsky’s work. Art historians call this period “blue”. In a series of works by the artist, one can read a special manner of execution, which appeared in the marine painter after 1870.
Romanticism is felt in each of Aivazovsky’s works. These are the trends of that time - to move away from the ordinary and plunge into the world beyond the gray everyday life. Aivazovsky was good at naval battles and depicting the elements. Art critics firmly declare that the artist’s paintings are the most emotional masterpieces of the 19th century.
Aivazovsky is 81 years old. He moves away from the usual ships, small figures. Now all his attention is occupied by the sea. The artist was commissioned for several more works during these years, but this particular work is considered Aivazovsky’s main legacy. He left a picture of his beloved Theodosia, where it is still located.
The artist traveled a lot not only in Russia, but also in Europe, and visited the Mediterranean. Since 1845, he mainly lived and worked in Feodosia. Back in the 1840s, thanks to the accuracy and speed of the brush, as well as the emotional mood and attraction to the heroism of the canvases, he deserved world fame. He became an academician in 1845, a professor in 1847, and an honorary member of the Academy of Arts in 1887.
Aivazovsky was born and lived for periods in Feodosia, which is why so much attention was paid to her. This is one of the artist's calmest works.
He was not spared the influence of the French masters of seascape C. Vernet and E. Lorrain. Over time, having gotten rid of sharp contrasts and “backstage” composition, he gains true pictorial freedom. This is especially felt in his depiction of the boundless and violent power of the elements of the sea, in its sunsets and the light of the moon coming to life on the waves, in the courage of the people who fought with sea elements(“The Ninth Wave,” which we’ll talk about a little later).
Their the best masterpieces Aivazovsky always created quickly - it took him 2 days at most. Especially when the work was done by inspiration, and not by order, it worked out best. The marine painter began with a quick sketch indicating the main elements and light sources. And then he went to the workshop and restored each shade from memory. This is exactly how the work “Sea. Koktebel Bay."
His works contain a striking combination of brightness and tonal unity, subtle solutions of chiaroscuro and, of course, ever-living, enchanting water. Aivazovsky painted a little more than 6,000 paintings during his life, and many more watercolors and drawings.
One of the most best paintings"blue" period.
Having become a painter at the Main Naval Staff in 1844, he took part in maritime companies. His canvases: “Storm on the Black Sea”, “St. George’s Monastery”, “Chesme Battle”, “Entrance to Sevastopol Bay” - are filled with the spirit of majestic heroism. Ivan Aivazovsky also wrote landscapes, especially Caucasian and Ukrainian ones, and on religious themes, and devoted a number of his works to the history of Armenia.
Battle painting depicting a ship of the Russian flotilla. Despite the general drama of the plot point, Aivazovsky was proud of the Russian sailors who managed to win this difficult battle. "Chesme fight" refers to early period creativity of the marine painter.
Being a wealthy man, Aivazovsky is also known as a philanthropist who actively helped the urban development of Feodosia, where you can most fully get acquainted with his work in art gallery, bearing his name.
Aivazovsky left his native Feodosia for a short time. Even when St. Petersburg opened all its doors to him with titles, fame and money, the marine painter with all his soul rushed home, to the sea.
Having settled in a house on the coast, the artist remained forever devoted to the sea. It became his muse and the main character for his paintings. Constantly communicating with sailors, the artist knew about the superstitions that lived in their circles. He knew about the fatal ninth wave, which brought only death to the ships.
From the first days of exhibitions, the painting turned into a masterpiece. That same year, Nicholas I himself bought it for the Hermitage. Today, “The Ninth Wave” is Aivazovsky. This is his best and most famous work.
This concludes our study of Aivazovsky’s paintings. Add photos with names (the most famous ones) to your bookmarks and share in the comments which of the works you liked the most.
The Black Sea is the constant and most frequent subject of Ivan Aivazovsky’s images. A native of Feodosia, the great marine painter knew his native shores almost by heart, which is why the waters of the Black Sea are so diverse in his work. “The Black Sea” is a painting by Aivazovsky, which attracts with its simplicity and inner strength. It depicts nothing but the sea, and that is what makes it subtle and beautiful.
Marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky
The real name of the recognized master of seascape is Hovhannes Ayvazyan, he comes from the family of an impoverished Armenian merchant. Due to the heavy financial situation young Aivazovsky could not afford decent training in the art of drawing and painting until he attracted the attention of the chief architect of Feodosia with his natural talent.
After initial help from his benefactor, Aivazovsky was able to quickly achieve recognition and popularity. His unique manner of depicting water in general and seascapes in particular played a big role in achieving the status of academician of art.
The painter's talent was not limited to images of the sea, as evidenced by his numerous portraits, rare genre compositions and stories on religious themes. However, Aivazovsky’s only and unquenchable passion was the sea.
The Black Sea in the works of Aivazovsky
Despite the fact that “The Black Sea” (a painting by Aivazovsky, painted in 1881) is the only painting with that title, the great marine painter often depicted the waters of the Black Sea on his canvases. The artist was born in Feodosia and lived there most of his life. Aivazovsky believed that it was impossible to draw water from life, since it is the most fickle and changeable of the elements. However, the shores and waves of his native Black Sea were so familiar to him that he could depict their various states from memory.
Among the vast artistic heritage of the author greatest number The paintings are dedicated to the Black Sea, which was the artist’s constant theme. Aivazovsky depicted the Black Sea in all its guises - in calm and storm, day and night, in the rays of the morning sun or in the fire of sunset. The work of the great marine painter leaves no doubt about his love and affection for his native shores.
Description of Aivazovsky’s painting “Black Sea”
Despite the frequent depiction of native shores, in creative heritage Aivazovsky has only one painting, which is simply called “The Black Sea”. This canvas was created by the artist in 1881 and offers viewers a view of the endless sea expanse, frozen on the canvas just before the storm begins. The second title of the painting is “A storm begins to break out on the Black Sea.”
“The Black Sea” is a painting by Aivazovsky, characterized by simplicity of plot and practically perfect proportions compositions. The canvas depicts a darkened sea with frequent, restless, but not yet high waves, decorated with small foam ridges. Such waves, penetrated by rays of light and as if glowing from within, were called “Aivazovsky’s waves” by the artist’s contemporaries.
The horizon line divides the picture almost perfectly into two equal parts - a stormy sea below, a darkened sky above, and between them a thin strip of land and a lonely sail rushing towards it are barely visible through a curtain of fog.
Analysis of the picture
“The Black Sea” is a painting by Aivazovsky, which attracts the eye with its relaxed harmony and unusually realistic color palette. In addition to the fact that the picture is compositionally divided in half into sea and sky, the elements of these two parts seem to be reflected in each other.
The dark clouds on the right merge and form an equilateral wedge with the dark waves of the stormy sea. The play of light and shadow in the painting creates a lively composition, the dynamism of which is emphasized by the horizon line tilting slightly to the left.
The symmetry of the forms in the picture is the opposite of the asymmetry in the application of colors: while the sky is replete with a rich palette of shades, including lilac, blue, azure, gray and color Ivory, the sea spread out under the sky cannot boast of such chromatic diversity. The sea in Aivazovsky’s painting “The Black Sea” is painted in bluish-green, muted tones. The painting “Black Sea” (Aivazovsky masterfully depicted the state of the water element) should captivate not with the abundance of details and riot of colors, but with realism, natural beauty and the power of the raging sea.
The Black Sea in other paintings by Aivazovsky
The Black Sea was eternal theme Aivazovsky and never left the canvases on which the great marine painter worked for long. The artist’s works glorify the beauty, variability and natural power of the water element, so it is not surprising that the Black Sea, close to Aivazovsky, is shown in his paintings in all its diversity and inconstancy.
The calm and serene Black Sea can be seen in the paintings “Entrance to Sevastopol Bay” and “Gurzuf”, and its waters, penetrated by the rays of the setting sun, are depicted in the paintings “View of the Sea from the Crimean Mountains” and “Sunset on the Crimean Shores”. The description of Aivazovsky’s painting “Storm on the Black Sea” is complicated by the fact that in the marine painter’s heritage there are three paintings with the same name.
Aivazovsky depicted the Black Sea in the first rays rising sun(“Sunrise in Feodosia”) and in storm wind(“View of Odessa from the sea”). In the artist’s paintings they are engulfed in fog (“ Foggy morning") or illuminated by the bright moon ("Feodosia. Moonlight Night"). Every image of the Black Sea shows that the marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky carefully kept it in his memory all his life and even in Italy he did not stop painting views of his native shores.
The sea and Aivazovsky have been synonymous for a century and a half. We say “Aivazovsky” - we imagine the sea, and when we see a sea sunset or storm, a sailboat or foaming surf, calm or sea breeze, we say: “Pure Aivazovsky!”
It's hard not to recognize Aivazovsky. But today “Arthive” will show you a rare and little-known Aivazovsky. Aivazovsky unexpected and unusual. Aivazovsky, whom you may not even immediately recognize. In short, Aivazovsky without the sea.
Winter landscape. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1880s
These are graphic self-portraits of Aivazovsky. Perhaps he is unrecognizable here. And he looks more like not his own picturesque images (see below), but his good friend, with whom he traveled around Italy in his youth - Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Self-portrait on the left - Gogol, composing “ Dead Souls"at a table littered with drafts.
Even more interesting is the self-portrait on the right. Why not with a palette and brushes, but with a violin? Because the violin was Aivazovsky’s faithful friend for many years. No one remembered who gave it to 10-year-old Hovhannes, a boy from a large and poor family of Armenian immigrants in Feodosia. Of course, parents couldn’t afford to hire a teacher. But that wasn't necessary. Hovhannes was taught to play by traveling musicians at the Feodosia bazaar. His hearing turned out to be excellent. Aivazovsky could pick out any tune, any melody by ear.
The aspiring artist brought his violin with him to St. Petersburg and played “for the soul.” Often at a party, when Hovhannes made useful acquaintances and began to visit society, he was asked to play the violin. Possessing an easy-going character, Aivazovsky never refused. In the biography of composer Mikhail Glinka, written by Vsevolod Uspensky, there is the following fragment: “Once at the Puppeteer, Glinka met with a student of the Academy of Arts, Aivazovsky. He masterfully sang a wild Crimean song, sitting Tatar-style on the floor, swaying and holding the violin to his chin. Glinka really liked Aivazovsky’s Tatar tunes; his imagination was attracted to the east from his youth... Two tunes eventually became part of the Lezginka, and the third - in the Ratmir scene in the third act of the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila.”
Aivazovsky will take his violin with him everywhere. On the ships of the Baltic squadron, his playing entertained the sailors; the violin sang to them about warm seas and better life. In St. Petersburg, seeing my first future wife Julia Grevs at a social reception (she was just the governess of the master's children), Aivazovsky did not dare to introduce himself - instead, he would again pick up the violin and belt out a serenade in Italian.
An interesting question: why in the picture Aivazovsky does not rest the violin on his chin, but holds it like a cello? Biographer Yulia Andreeva explains this feature as follows: “According to numerous testimonies of contemporaries, he held the violin in an oriental manner, resting it on his left knee. This way he could play and sing at the same time.”
Self-portrait of Ivan Aivazovsky, 1874
And this self-portrait of Aivazovsky is just for comparison: unlike the not so widely known previous ones, the reader is probably familiar with it. But if in the first Aivazovsky reminded Gogol, then in this one, with well-groomed sideburns, he resembled Pushkin. By the way, this was precisely the opinion of Natalya Nikolaevna, the poet’s wife. When Aivazovsky was presented to the Pushkin couple at an exhibition at the Academy of Arts, Natalya Nikolaevna kindly noted that the artist’s appearance very much reminded her of portraits young Alexander Sergeevich.
Petersburg. Crossing the Neva. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1870s
At the first (and if we ignore the legends, then the only) meeting, Pushkin asked Aivazovsky two questions. The first one is more than predictable when you meet someone: where is the artist from? But the second one is unexpected and even somewhat familiar. Pushkin asked Aivazovsky if he, a southern man, was not freezing in St. Petersburg? If only Pushkin knew how right he turned out to be. All the winters at the Academy of Arts, young Hovhannes was indeed catastrophically cold.
There are drafts in the halls and classrooms, teachers are wrapped in down scarves backs. 16-year-old Hovhannes Aivazovsky, accepted into the class of Professor Maxim Vorobyov, has numb fingers from the cold. He is chilly, wraps himself in a paint-stained jacket that is not warm at all, and coughs all the time.
It is especially difficult at night. A moth-eaten blanket does not allow you to warm up. All members are chilled, tooth does not touch tooth, and for some reason the ears are especially cold. When the cold prevents you from sleeping, student Aivazovsky remembers Feodosia and the warm sea.
Headquarters physician Overlach writes reports to the President of the Academy Olenin about the unsatisfactory health of Hovhannes: “Academician Aivazovsky, was transferred several years before to St. Petersburg from the southern region of Russia and precisely from the Crimea, since his very stay here he has always felt unhealthy and has already been used many times I was in the academic infirmary, suffering, both before and now, chest pain, dry cough, shortness of breath when climbing stairs and a strong heartbeat.”
Is this why “Crossing the Neva,” a rare St. Petersburg landscape for Aivazovsky’s work, looks like it makes your teeth ache from the imaginary cold? It was written in 1877, the Academy is long gone, but the feeling of the piercing cold of Northern Palmyra remains. Giant ice floes rose on the Neva. The Admiralty Needle appears through the cold, hazy colors of the purple sky. It's cold for the tiny people in the cart. It's chilly, alarming - but also fun. And it seems that there is so much new, unknown, interesting - there, ahead, behind the veil of frosty air.
Betrayal of Judas. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1834
The State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg carefully preserves Aivazovsky’s sketch “The Betrayal of Judas.” It is made on gray paper with white and Italian pencil. In 1834, Aivazovsky was preparing a painting for biblical theme on the instructions of the Academy. Hovhannes was quite secretive by nature, loved to work alone and did not understand at all how his idol Karl Bryullov was able to write in front of any crowd of people.
Aivazovsky, on the contrary, preferred solitude for his work, so when he presented “The Betrayal of Judas” to his comrades at the academy, it came as a complete surprise to them. Many simply could not believe that a 17-year-old provincial, only in his second year of study, was capable of such a thing.
And then his ill-wishers came up with an explanation. After all, Aivazovsky always disappears from the collector and philanthropist Alexei Romanovich Tomilov? And in his collection there are Bryullovs, Poussins, Rembrandts, and who knows who else. Surely the cunning Hovhannes simply copied a painting there by some little-known European master in Russia and passed it off as his own.
Fortunately for Aivazovsky, the President of the Academy of Arts, Alexei Nikolaevich Olenin, had a different opinion about “The Betrayal of Judas.” Olenin was so impressed by Hovhannes’ skill that he honored him with high favor - he invited him to stay with him at the Priyutino estate, where Pushkin and Krylov, Borovikovsky and Venetsianov, Kiprensky and the Bryullov brothers visited. An unheard of honor for a novice academician.
Eastern stage. Coffee shop near the Ortakoy Mosque in Constantinople. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1846
By 1845, 27-year-old Aivazovsky, whose seascapes were already resounding throughout Europe from Amsterdam to Rome, was being paid tribute in Russia. He receives “Anna on the Neck” (Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree), the title of academician, 1,500 acres of land in Crimea for 99 years of use, and most importantly, an official naval uniform. The Naval Ministry, for services to the Fatherland, appoints Aivazovsky as the first painter of the Main Naval Staff. Now Aivazovsky is required to be allowed into all Russian ports and onto all ships, wherever he wishes to go. And in the spring of 1845, at the insistence of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, the artist was included in Admiral Litke’s naval expedition to Turkey and Asia Minor.
By that time, Aivazovsky had already traveled all over Europe (his foreign passport had more than 135 visas, and customs officers were tired of adding new pages to it), but had not yet been to the lands of the Ottomans. For the first time he sees Chios and Patmos, Samos and Rhodes, Sinop and Smyrna, Anatolia and the Levant. And most of all he was impressed by Constantinople: “My voyage,” wrote Aivazovsky, “with his Imperial Highness Konstantin Nikolaevich was extremely pleasant and interesting, everywhere I managed to sketch sketches for paintings, especially in Constantinople, from which I am in admiration. There is probably nothing in the world more majestic than this city; both Naples and Venice are forgotten there.”
“Coffee shop at the Ortakoy Mosque” is one of the views of Constantinople painted by Aivazovsky after this first trip. In general, Aivazovsky’s relations with Turkey are a long and difficult story. He will visit Turkey more than once. The artist was highly appreciated Turkish rulers: in 1856, Sultan Abdul-Mejid I awarded him the Order of “Nitshan Ali”, 4th degree, in 1881, Sultan Abdul-Hamid II - with a diamond medal. But between these awards there was also Russian-Turkish war 1877, during which Aivazovsky’s house in Feodosia was partially destroyed by a shell. However, it is significant that the peace treaty between Turkey and Russia was signed in a hall decorated with paintings by Aivazovsky. When visiting Turkey, Aivazovsky communicated especially warmly with the Armenians living in Turkey, who respectfully called him Aivaz Effendi. And when in the 1890s Turkish Sultan will commit a monstrous massacre in which thousands of Armenians will die, Aivazovsky will defiantly throw Ottoman awards into the sea, saying that he advises the Sultan to do the same with his paintings.
“Coffee shop at the Ortakoy Mosque” by Aivazovsky - perfect image Turkey. Ideal - because it is peaceful. Sitting relaxing on embroidered pillows and immersed in contemplation, Turks drink coffee, inhale hookah smoke, and listen to unobtrusive melodies. Molten air flows. Time flows between your fingers like sand. No one is in a hurry - there is no need to rush: everything necessary for the fullness of being is already concentrated in the present moment.
Windmills in the Ukrainian steppe at sunset. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1862
It cannot be said that Aivazovsky in the landscape “Windmills in the Ukrainian steppe...” is unrecognizable. A wheat field in the sunset rays is almost like the rippling surface of the sea, and the mills are the same frigates: in some the wind inflates the sails, in others it rotates the blades. Where and, most importantly, when could Aivazovsky take his mind off the sea and become interested in the Ukrainian steppe?
Returning from the wedding. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1891
Chumaks on vacation. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1885
Perhaps when a short time moved your family from Feodosia to Kharkov? And he didn’t transport it idly, but hastily evacuate it. In 1853, Turkey declared war on Russia, in March 1854 England and France joined it - the Crimean War. In September the enemy was already in Yalta. Aivazovsky urgently needed to save his relatives - his wife, four daughters, and old mother. “With spiritual sorrow,” the artist reported to one of the correspondents, “we had to leave our dear Crimea, leaving behind all our wealth, acquired by our labors over the course of fifteen years. In addition to my family, my 70-year-old mother, I had to take all my relatives with me, and we stopped in Kharkov, as the closest city to the south and inexpensive for a modest life.”
The biographer writes that in the new place, Aivazovsky’s wife Yulia Grevs, who had previously actively helped her husband in Crimea in his archaeological excavations and ethnographic research, “tried to captivate Aivazovsky with archeology or scenes of Little Russian life.” After all, Julia really wanted her husband and father to stay with the family longer. It didn’t work out: Aivazovsky rushed to besieged Sevastopol. For several days under bombing, he painted from life naval battles, and only a special order from Vice Admiral Kornilov forced the fearless artist to leave the theater of war. Nevertheless, Aivazovsky’s legacy includes quite a lot of ethnographic-genre scenes and Ukrainian landscapes: “Chumaks on Vacation,” “Wedding in Ukraine,” “Winter Scene in Little Russia” and others.
Portrait of Senator Alexander Ivanovich Kaznacheev, leader of the nobility of the Tauride province. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1848
Aivazovsky left relatively few portraits. But he wrote to this gentleman more than once. However, this is not surprising: the artist considered Alexander Ivanovich Kaznacheev his “second father.” When Aivazovsky was still small, Kaznacheev served as the mayor of Feodosia. At the end of the 1820s, he increasingly began to receive complaints: someone was playing pranks in the city - painting fences and whitewashed walls of houses. The mayor went to inspect the art. On the walls were figures of soldiers, sailors and silhouettes of ships, induced by samovar coal - I must say, very, very believable. After some time, city architect Koch informed Treasurer that he had identified the author of this “graffiti.” It was 11-year-old Hovhannes, the son of the market elder Gevork Gaivazovsky.
“You draw beautifully,” Kaznacheev agreed when he met the “criminal,” “but why on other people’s fences?!” However, he immediately understood: the Aivazovskys are so poor that they cannot buy drawing supplies for their son. And Kaznacheev did it himself: instead of punishment, he gave Hovhannes a stack of good paper and a box of paints.
Hovhannes began to visit the mayor’s house and became friends with his son Sasha. And when in 1830 Kaznacheev became the governor of Tavria, he took Aivazovsky, who had become a member of the family, to Simferopol so that the boy could study at the gymnasium there, and three years later he made every effort to ensure that Hovhannes was enrolled in Imperial Academy arts
When the grown and famous Aivazovsky returns to live in Crimea forever, he will maintain friendly relations with Alexander Ivanovich. And even in some sense he will imitate his “said father”, intensively caring for the poor and disadvantaged and founding the “General Workshop” - art school for local talented youth. And Aivazovsky, using his own design and at his own expense, will erect a fountain in honor of Kaznacheev in Feodosia.
Caravan in the oasis. Egypt. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1871
On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened for navigation. Laid through the Egyptian deserts, it connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas and became a conditional border between Africa and Eurasia. The inquisitive and still greedy for impressions 52-year-old Aivazovsky could not miss such an event. He came to Egypt as part of the Russian delegation and became the first marine painter in the world to paint the Suez Canal.
"Those pictures in which main strength- the light of the sun... must be considered the best,” Aivazovsky was always convinced. And there was just an abundance of sun in Egypt - just work. Palm trees, sand, pyramids, camels, distant desert horizons and “Caravan in an oasis” - all this remains in Aivazovsky’s paintings.
The artist also left interesting memories of the first meeting of Russian song and the Egyptian desert: “When the Russian steamship was entering the Suez Canal, the French steamer ahead of it ran aground, and the swimmers were forced to wait until it was removed. This stop lasted about five hours.
She was beautiful Moonlight night, which gave some kind of majestic beauty to the deserted shores of the ancient country of the pharaohs, separated by a canal from the Asian shore.
To shorten the time, the passengers of the Russian steamship staged an impromptu vocal concert: Ms. Kireeva, possessing in a wonderful voice, took on the duties of lead singer, a harmonious choir picked up...
And so, on the shores of Egypt, a song sounded about “Mother Volga”, about the “dark forest”, about the “open field” and rushed along the waves, silvered by the moon, shining brightly at the border of two parts of the world...”
Catholicos Khrimyan in the vicinity of Etchmiadzin. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1895
Portrait of the artist's brother Gabriel Ayvazyan. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1883
Baptism of the Armenian people. Grigor the Enlightener (IV century) Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1892
Perhaps it will be new to someone to learn that Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was a true zealot of the Armenian apostolic church, one of the oldest, by the way, Christian churches. There was an Armenian Christian community in Feodosia, and the Synod was located in the “heart of Armenia” - the city of Etchmiadzin.
Aivazovsky's elder brother Sargis (Gabriel) became a monk, then an archbishop and an outstanding Armenian educator. For the artist himself, his religious affiliation was by no means an empty formality. About the most important events of his life, for example, about a wedding, he informed the Etchmiadzin Synod: “On August 15, 1848, I married Julia, the daughter of Jacob Greves, an Englishman-Lutheran, but he was married in the Armenian church and on the condition that my children from this marriage would also be baptized in Armenian holy font."
When family life things go wrong, Aivazovsky will have to ask for permission to dissolve the marriage there.
In 1895, a distinguished guest came to Feodosia to visit Aivazovsky - Catholicos Khrimyan, head Armenian Church. Aivazovsky took him to Old Crimea, where he erected a new one on the site of destroyed churches and even painted an altar image for it. At a gala dinner for 300 people in Feodosia, the Catholicos promised the artist: “I, Khrimyan Hayrik, with a cross in one hand and the Bible in the other, will pray for you and for my poor Armenian people.” In the same year, the inspired Aivazovsky will paint the painting “Catholicos Khrimyan in the vicinity of Etchmiadzin.”
In five years, 82-year-old Aivazovsky will be dead. His grave is in the courtyard ancient temple decorated with an inscription in Armenian: “Born mortal, left behind an immortal memory.”
Anna Nikitichna Burnazyan-Sarkizova, second wife of I.K. Aivazovsky. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, 1882
It would be unfair to the reader to end our story about Aivazovsky’s paintings, where the sea is absent, with the fact of the artist’s death. Moreover, having touched on many important biographical milestones, we still didn’t talk about love.
When Aivazovsky was no less than 65 years old, he fell in love. Moreover, he fell in love like a boy - at first sight and in circumstances that were least conducive to romance. He was riding in a carriage along the streets of Feodosia and crossed paths with funeral procession, which included a beautiful young woman dressed in black. The artist believed that in his native Feodosia he knew everyone by name, but it was as if he had seen her for the first time and did not even know who she was to the deceased - daughter, sister, wife. I made inquiries: it turned out that she was a widow. 25 years. Name is Anna Sarkizova, nee Burnazyan.
The late husband left Anna an estate with a marvelous garden and great wealth for the Crimea - a source of fresh water. She is a completely wealthy, self-sufficient woman, and also 40 years younger than Aivazovsky. But when the artist, trembling and not believing in possible happiness, proposed to her, Sarkizova accepted him.
A year later, Aivazovsky confessed to a friend in a letter: “Last summer I married a lady, an Armenian widow. I had not met her before, but I had heard a lot about her good name. Now I can live calmly and happily. I haven’t lived with my first wife for 20 years and haven’t seen her for 14 years. Five years ago, the Etchmiadzin Synod and the Catholicos allowed me to divorce... Only now I was very afraid to connect my life with a woman of another nation, so as not to shed tears. This happened by God’s grace, and I sincerely thank you for your congratulations.”
They will live 17 years in love and harmony. As in his youth, Aivazovsky will write a lot and incredibly productively. And he will also have time to show his beloved the ocean: in the 10th year of marriage they will sail to America via Paris, and, according to legend, this a beautiful couple will often be the only people on the ship not susceptible to seasickness. While most of the passengers, hiding in their cabins, waited out the rolling and storm, Aivazovsky and Anna serenely admired the expanses of the sea.
After Aivazovsky’s death, Anna would become a voluntary recluse for more than 40 years (and she would live until she was 88): no guests, no interviews, much less attempts to arrange her personal life. There is something strong-willed and at the same time mysterious in the look of a woman whose face is half hidden by a gas veil, so similar to the translucent surface of water with seascapes her great husband, Ivan Aivazovsky.
