Immerse yourself in the works of Russian-born artist Ivan Aivazovsky. With a skilful eye for colour and detail, this romantic painter was considered a master of marine art. His dramatic seascapes will make your space come to life with the spirit of adventure. His interest in maritime scenes never dwindled and he captured the changing elements until the end of his life.

Throughout his long life, Russian seascape painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900) produced thousands of beautiful paintings. These canvas art prints will bring some of Aivazovsky's most unforgettable romantic period pieces of sailing ships and nature to your home or workspace.

Early Life

Nineteenth-century Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky was born on July 17 in 1817. Before his birth, his Armenian family moved from Poland to Feodosia, working as merchants. Aivazovsky was born in Feodosia, a city on the Black Sea. While Aivazovsky showed promise as a painter early on, he also excelled at playing the violin. Before he turned fourteen, Aivazovsky was accepted into the Imperial Academy of Art. Apparently, the Academy president Alexey Olenin accepted Aivazovsky as a student after seeing only one drawing by the young man. At twenty years old, Aivazovsky graduated two years early from the Academy as his teachers believed they couldn’t teach him anything more. In 1837, he received the Grand Gold Medal of the Academy.

After successfully exhibiting some of his work in his home country in 1840, Aivazovsky was permitted to travel to Italy to learn more about the craft of painting. One of his first stops was Italy, where he lived, studied, and learned to work from memory. One of his works from this time is Moonlit Night in Capri (1841) which shows a beautiful maritime landscape with ships scattered across the water. He also travelled to Vienna, Austria and Berlin, Germany. He didn’t stop there. Over his lifetime, Aivazovsky would capture sea scenes of Anatolia, Egypt, and Greece.

Aivazovsky and the Ocean

Ivan Aivazovsky travelled across oceans via military ships. He was once the Russian navy’s main painter. In 1846, the Russian Navy celebrated ten years of Aivazovsky’s career. Beginning in 1836, Aivazovsky created historical paintings of the Russian fleet. The navy even dubbed him the Painter to the Chief Naval Staff. They even allowed him to wear the admiralty uniform. It wasn’t all smooth sailings on the sea. There was one incident where he was almost killed in a storm in the Bay of Biscay.

What influenced Ivan Aivazovsky?

Ivan Aivazovsky was influenced by a number of artists, both Russian and from around the world. Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner’s landscapes were one inspiration. During his travels, Aivazovsky met Turner in 1842 when the English artist was living in Rome. Another English painter, William Martin, also served as an inspiration for Aivazovsky. The French artist Theodore Gericault also inspired Aivazovsky. Supposedly Chekhov coined the phrase “a sight worthy of Aivazovsky’s brush.”

Artworks

Ivan Aivazovsky was a prolific painter, having created over 6,000 artworks. It’s hard to believe, but Ivan Aivazovsky painted all his seascapes in the safe and warm confines of his studio. His seascapes are mesmerising and beautiful thanks to the movement of water and the light that filters through. He was so admired that he became the first Russian painter to have his artworks exhibited in France’s Louvre; he was only twenty-six years old. By the end of his life, he had held over 120 exhibitions all over the world. His admirers included the Russian Tsar and the Sultan of Turkey. He received accolades by Pope Gregory XVI and a medal from the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in France.

The Ninth Wave (1850)

Ivan Aivazovsky’s best-known painting is The Ninth Wave. What at first seems like a sublime image of crashing waves during sunset is actually, at a closer glance, a moment after a storm, where people attempt to cling onto debris to keep from drowning. The debris comes from a shipwreck, which is assumed to have been knocked apart in the storm. The debris is in the shape of the cross, a symbol of Christianity, a symbol of salvation earthly sin. The Ninth Wave is a fusion of hope and desperation.

The Bay of Naples at Moonlit Night (1842)

The Bay of Naples at Moonlit Night is one of the paintings that Ivan Aivazovsky was inspired to paint while touring through Europe. It was also the painting that brought him fame. It is one of the largest painters by the Russian artist. At the time, the sea was a rare sight for many people, especially those living in landlocked Moscow and St. Petersburg, so the sight of Aivazovsky’s paintings was a spectacle. The Bay of Naples at Moonlit Night made a mark on another painter, that was J.M.W Turner. The English painter supposedly penned a eulogy after witnessing The Bay of Naples at Moonlit Night.

Evening in Cairo (1870)

In Evening in Cairo, inspired by a trip to Egypt, Aivazovsky paints the evening light falling on a crowd gathered atop a location high on a hill. This burning orange light shines and you can see a mosque, palm trees, and local residents chatting the evening away.

Later Years

After touring through Asia Minor and Turkey in 1845, Ivan Aivazovsky settled in his hometown of Feodosia, Russia. He often returned to Feodosia in between trips abroad. Success from his painting career allowed Aivazovsky to build a house on the seashore of Feodosia.

He founded an art gallery in his hometown, where 130 of his paintings sit on display. He also opened an art school and provided the town with water from his estate. Aivazovsky died in Feodosia in 1900.

Reference List

https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/ivan-aivazovsky-marine-art/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ivan-aivazovsky-guide#who-was-ivan-aivazovsky

https://medium.com/@artchive/animated-paintings-by-ivan-aivazovsky-c088135dea6d

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/aivazovsky-ivan/life-and-legacy/

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/russian-artists-painting-breaks-record-for-highest-online-only-sale-39257589.html

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2016/08/04/ivan-aivazovskys-seascapes-on-display-at-moscows-tretyakov-gallery-a54850

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/sothebys-halts-sale-of-russian-masterpiece-believed-stolen-4257/