Numerous battle paintings by I.K. Aivazovsky (1817-1900) glorified the heroes-sailors who bravely defended their Fatherland. His work helps to keep the memory of the glorious military traditions of the navy.
Big raid in Kronstadt 1836
Aivazovsky depicted all the major battles and victories of the Russian fleet since its inception. The plots of his paintings do not form a single sequence of chronological order. Perceiving the life of the fleet as something close and joyful, he often created paintings either immediately after the depicted event, or shortly after it, or (which rarely happened), linking it to some historical date.
Kronstadt raid 1839-40
The landing of N.N. Raevsky near Subashi 1839
Ensuring access to the shores of the Baltic Sea could not be carried out without a fleet. Its construction began as soon as the Russian troops established themselves on the shores of the Baltic. Russia emerged from the Northern War as a strong maritime power. During the war, military bases were set up in Vyborg, Reval and other places.
Revel(Tallinn). 1844
Kronstadt. Fort "Emperor Alexander I" 1844
Sveaborg 1844
Aivazovsky devoted a number of his paintings to the victories of the Russian fleet in the Northern War. In 1846, the artist painted battle works dedicated to the naval battles of Reval, Vyborg, and Krasnaya Gorka. But not forgetting that he was a painter of the Main Naval Staff, in 1846 Aivazovsky began to paint a picture about the founder of the Russian fleet, Peter 1, giving it the title: "Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka lights a fire to signal the fleet."
Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka...1846
The events depicted by Aivazovsky in the picture are historical, they took place on August 31, 1714.
Naval battle at Revel (May 2, 1790). 1846,
Naval battle at Vyborg June 29, 1790 1846
The struggle with Turkey, begun under Peter 1, initially for mastering the outlets to the Azov and Black Seas, and later for freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean, led to the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.
In 1848, the artist paints the painting "Battle of Navarino", which depicts an event that also glorified the Russian fleet.
Battle of Navarino 1846
The combined fleet of the allies (Russians, French, British) entered the Bay of Navarino, where the Turkish-Egyptian fleet was concentrated. After fruitless attempts to negotiate, after the shelling of the allied fleet by Turkish ships and coastal batteries in October 1827, the Battle of Navarino began. The Russian battleships, being in the center and bearing the brunt of the Turkish-Egyptian forces, with skillful actions destroyed most of the enemy fleet.
One of the famous paintings by Aivazovsky is "Battle of the brig" Mercury "with Turkish ships."
Brig "Mercury" attacked by two Turkish ships 1892
Brig Mercury after defeating two Turkish ships
meets with the Russian squadron 1848
This battle took place on May 14, 1829. The 18-gun brig "Mercury", cruising off the coast of the Bosphorus, unexpectedly met with the Turkish squadron. Brig commander captain-lieutenant A.I. Kazarsky decided to join the battle and, if necessary, explode with one of the enemy ships. Skillfully maneuvering and preventing the enemy from taking advantage of a tenfold superiority in artillery, the brig "Mercury" inflicted such defeats on enemy ships that after a 3-hour battle they stopped pursuing.
A very special place in the art of Aivazovsky is occupied by the Sevastopol epic. Much of what is connected with the Crimean War, and especially with the participation of the Black Sea Fleet in it, was depicted by Aivazovsky.
Russian squadron on the Sevastopol roadstead 1846
Entrance to the Sevastopol Bay 1852
Sevastopol raid 1852
Battle of Sinop 1853
Sinop. Night after the battle November 18, 1853 1853
Capture of Sevastopol 1855
In October 1853, Türkiye declared war on Russia. In November 1853, the Russian squadron discovered the Turkish fleet in the Sinop Bay. The Russian fleet moved closer and started a fight at close range. The flagship "Empress Maria", on which Nakhimov was, was ahead. By the end of the 4-hour battle, the Turkish squadron and coastal batteries were destroyed.
On October 5, Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov was mortally wounded on Malakhov Hill. Later, Aivazovsky painted the painting "Malakhov Kurgan - the place where Admiral Kornilov was mortally wounded."
Malakhov Kurgan 1893
This picture depicts the panorama of Sevastopol, opening from the height of the Malakhov Kurgan. In the foreground, a kind of monument is visible - a cross made of cannonballs at the site of the mortal wound of V.A. Kornilov. At the monument - two veterans of the defense of Sevastopol. They came to this sacred mound for every Russian, where their beloved commander was mortally wounded.
Arriving in 1854 in the besieged Sevastopol, the artist saw above the water only the tops of the masts of many ships of the Black Sea Fleet, blocking with their hulls the entrance to the Sevastopol Bay to the enemy fleet. He captured this view in the painting "The Siege of Sevastopol".
Siege of Sevastopol 1859
Until the last days of his life, the artist served the fleet, glorifying its glorious victories and the heroism of Russian sailors. The last picture, on which Aivazovsky began work on the day of his death, was also dedicated to the Russian fleet. It depicts a combat episode - "The explosion of a Turkish ship."
Explosion of the ship (last unfinished work) 1900
Battle paintings by Aivazovsky are in many naval museums and art galleries. But the largest collection of Aivazovsky's works is in the Feodosia Art Gallery, which exhibits more than 400 paintings by the painter. All these paintings are a chronicle of the military exploits of the Russian fleet.
Ship "Twelve Apostles" 1897
Review of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849
(The last highest review of the Black Sea Fleet by Emperor Nicholas) 1886
The Black Sea Fleet before the Crimean War on the Feodosia raid 1890
The art of depicting the sea brought I.K. Aivazovsky worldwide fame. And it is no coincidence that on the grave of the marine painter, who was buried with full military honors - an unprecedented phenomenon at that time - it is written:
"Born mortal, left immortal glory about himself!"
Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich
Chesme battle - Aivazovsky. 1848. Oil on canvas. 193 x 183 cm. Museum: Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia
A recognized master marine painter, the artist, like no one else, was able to depict the sea in any of its states and various ships - from a small boat to a huge sailboat. The picture depicts the moment of the naval battle of the Russian fleet against the Turkish, in which the latter suffered a crushing defeat and lost many ships and its experienced sailors.
The canvas reflects the decisive moment of the night battle, when the Turkish fleet was utterly defeated. This is a monstrous and frightening sight - huge ships burn and sink like chips, and the surviving sailors cling to the remains of masts and rigging with difficulty. The incredible power and horror of this battle is emphasized by high-rising pillars of flame, so that it seems that the sea itself is blazing with hellish flames. The flashes of fire are written out so masterfully that it creates the feeling of a picture bursting with heat.
The depth of perspective and volume of the picture is given by the use of contrasting colors. The overall color scheme is very dark and gloomy, which not only corresponds to the tragedy of the event, but is also due to the fact that the battle took place at night, and the smoke and fumes from the ships dying in the fire literally closed the horizon. The sky as such is not visible on the canvas, it is covered with a dense veil of black mourning smoke, against which the fiery splashes of colors of burning ships and the yellow moon, barely visible under the cover of smoky clubs, clearly stand out.
In the foreground of the picture is a boat crowded with people who have just blown up one of the Turkish ships with their firewall. From this explosion, a grandiose fire occurred, which soon destroyed almost the entire Turkish linear fleet. On the other side of the canvas, on the remains of their sunken ship, a handful of Turks who survived the battle are trying to escape. All their hope for survival lies in the fact that they will be taken prisoner, not allowing them to drown in the gloomy waters of the Aegean Sea.
This historic battle allowed the Russian troops not only to prevent the Turks from freely moving their ships around this area of the Aegean Sea, but also to establish a blockade of the Dardanelles, which prevented the main forces of the Turkish fleet from penetrating the Black Sea.
Using such a limited color scheme, the artist managed not only to convey the realities of a naval battle, but also to do it so masterfully that the picture looks like a real photo report from the site of a historical event, striking the imagination of the modern viewer with the grandeur and danger of naval battles of past eras.
The Battle of Chesme is one of the most important episodes of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. During the night, Russian ships were able to "lock" in the Chesme Bay and destroy most of the Turkish fleet.
I. K. Aivazovsky was not a participant in the grand battle of Chesme, which took place on the night of June 25-26, 1770, but on his canvas he convincingly captured the picture of a naval battle.
The canvas "Chesme Battle" was painted by the artist in 1848 and belongs to the early period of the great marine painter's work.
"Chesme battle" is a battle canvas permeated with passionate pathos and drama. In the foreground is the silhouette of the flagship of the Russian flotilla. In the depths of the Chesme Bay - Turkish ships dying from explosions. We see how they burn and sink - fragments of masts fly apart, flames of fire rage, illuminating the dark night with a tragic light.
Turkish sailors, miraculously surviving after the explosion, grab onto the wreckage of a wooden ship, trying to stay on the water, and cry for help. Rising up, the gray smoke of the fire mixes with the clouds. The mixture of the elements of fire, water and air resembles some kind of infernal fireworks. From above, the moon looks somewhat detachedly at everything that happens.
Despite the cruelty of what is happening, the picture "Chesme Battle" makes a major impression. It can be seen that the painter himself, in the process of creating the canvas, experienced a feeling of joyful excitement, intoxication with the brilliant victory won by Russian sailors. The picture is distinguished by virtuoso technique, skill and courage of execution.
The painting "Chesme Battle" by I. K. Aivazovsky is one of the paintings glorifying one of the most glorious pages in the history of the Russian fleet.
In addition to the description of the painting by I. K. Aivazovsky “The Battle of Chesme”, our website has collected many other descriptions of paintings by various artists, which can be used both in preparation for writing an essay on a painting, and simply for a more complete acquaintance with the work of famous masters of the past.
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Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was a comprehensively educated person and an interesting conversationalist. In his youth, he often visited the house of the composer M. I. Glinka, where he played his own melodies on the violin. Later, two of them were included in Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila.
Russian artist Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (real name - Gaivazovsky) was born in Feodosia, in the family of a bankrupt merchant. His father, an Armenian by nationality, was well educated, knew several oriental languages. As a child, Vanya was interested in music and drawing - he himself composed small pieces of music and performed them on the violin, and also painted with charcoal.
The parents did not have the opportunity to give the boy a good education. However, Vanya was lucky: the mayor of Feodosia, A.I. Kaznacheev, noticed Aivazovsky's talent and lobbied for him to be enrolled in the Simferopol gymnasium.
After studying there for two years, in 1833 the sixteen-year-old Aivazovsky was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, in the class of M. N. Vorobyov.
More than others, Aivazovsky was interested in the theme of the sea. During his studies, the future marine painter even participated in the campaign of the Baltic squadron and studied warships. Returning from a trip, he completed several paintings that were exhibited at the Academy's exhibition in 1836.
In them, one can notice the influence of the Dutch masters of the 17th century, but no one doubted the talent of the young artist. Aivazovsky graduated from the academy in 1837 with a large gold medal, which gave him the right to travel abroad. However, before that, by decision of the Council of the Academy, the young artist went to the Crimea to paint seascapes. There he not only completed many landscapes, sketches with views of Feodosia, Kerch, Gurzuf, Yalta, Sevastopol, but also took part in the landing operations of the Black Sea Fleet.
In 1839 he participated in one of the military sea campaigns as a painter. The result of his work in the Crimea was a number of paintings, of which the most successful can be considered "Moonlight Night in Gurzuf" (1839) and "Seashore" (1840).
I. K. Aivazovsky. "Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka, lighting a fire to signal his dying ships", 1846, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
In 1840, Aivazovsky, along with other graduates of the academy, came to Italy, where he quickly gained popularity. He met N.V. Gogol there, as well as the artists A.A. Ivanov and the Englishman J. Turner. Aivazovsky visited Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, studying artistic masterpieces. At this time, he completed the work: "Evening in Venice" (1843, Palace, Pavlovsk); “Shipwreck” (1843, Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia); "Venice" (1843, Muzalevsky's collection); Bay of Naples at night (1843, Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia).
I. K. Aivazovsky. "Fight in the Chios Strait", 1848, Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia
After Italy, he went to Germany, from there to Holland, then visited France, Switzerland, visited England, Portugal and Spain. During these trips around Europe, Aivazovsky’s artistic style finally took shape - he did not make preliminary field studies and drawings, being content with only a few pencil sketches, saying that “... the movements of living elements are elusive for a brush: writing lightning, a gust of wind, a splash of a wave is unthinkable from nature…” In 1844, the twenty-seven-year-old Aivazovsky returned to Russia as a famous academician of the Roman, Paris and Amsterdam Academies of Arts. Immediately after returning to St. Petersburg, he received the title of academician, was assigned to the Main Naval Staff as an artist. Soon Aivazovsky began work on a major order - a series of paintings with views of cities on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
I. K. Aivazovsky. "Chesme battle", 1848, Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia
Having completed the order, the master returned to his native city in 1845, built his own house and took up creativity. During this period, he painted the canvases “Odessa at Night” (1846, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), “Evening in the Crimea” (1848, Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia).
In 1848, Aivazovsky completed several marinas on historical subjects: “The Battle in the Chios Strait”, “Chesme Battle”, “Navarin Battle” (all in the I.K. Aivazovsky Art Gallery, Feodosia).
On the canvas “Battle in the Strait of Chios”, the artist showed a naval battle taking place during the day. In the foreground are two ships: a white and blue St. Andrew's banner flutters on the mast of one, and a red flag on the mast of the other. In the foreground, a fragment of a mast with a piece of sail swings in greenish waves - apparently, all that remains of a sunken ship. In the background, in the smoke of the battle, you can see several more masts and sails of the rest of the ships of the squadron.
In the painting “Chesme Battle”, the master depicted the feat of Lieutenant Ilyin, who blew up his ship near enemy Turkish ships.
The battle takes place at night - in the sky, partially covered with clouds, the moon is visible. Several ships are on fire, the soldiers are trying to escape in the boat.
In the subsequent works of Aivazovsky, one can notice the strengthening of the traditions of romanticism (“The Ninth Wave”, 1850, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, etc.).
During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the artist repeatedly visited the besieged Sevastopol. Subsequently, he captured the events he saw on the canvases “The battle of Sinop during the day” and “The battle of Sinop at night” (both - 1853, Naval Museum, St. Petersburg). A few years later, he completed another painting dedicated to the Crimean War: The Siege of Sevastopol (1859, Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia).
In 1867, the artist painted the canvas “The Island of Crete” (Picture Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia), dedicated to the liberation struggle of the Greeks against the Turkish conquerors.
In subsequent years, the master completed several landscapes depicting steppes, farms, as well as views of the Caucasus. However, despite the fact that the artist worked on them with great diligence, these paintings are still not as expressive as his famous marinas.
In the second half of the 19th century, Aivazovsky continued to paint historical subjects. Particularly interesting are the works "The Arrival of Catherine II in Feodosia" (1883); "The Black Sea Fleet in Feodosia" (1890); "Brig" Mercury "attacked by two Turkish ships" (1892); "Napoleon on the island of St. Helena" (1897), all - in the Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia).
Aivazovsky lived in Feodosia, but quite often made short trips to other countries. For example, in 1870, as part of the Russian delegation, he attended the opening of the Suez Canal. Returning to his native city and using only small sketches and excellent visual memory, he created the canvas "Suez Canal".
I. K. Aivazovsky. "Brig" Mercury "attacked by two Turkish ships", 1892, Art Gallery. I. K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia
The artist worked until the end of his life. In recent years, he has completed many magnificent works: The Black Sea (1881, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow); "The ship "Maria" during a storm" (1892, Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia), etc.
On April 19, 1900, in one day, he wrote his last work, The Explosion of a Ship (Art Gallery named after I.K. Aivazovsky, Feodosia). Aivazovsky died the same night.
In his will, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky wrote: “My sincere desire that the building of my art gallery with all the paintings, statues and other works of art in it, be the full property of Feodosia, and in memory of me, Aivazovsky, I bequeath the gallery to the city of Feodosia.”
In the history of the Russian fleet, the Battle of Chesme is one of the glorious heroic events. Aivazovsky himself, of course, could not have witnessed these events that unfolded on the night of June 26, 1770. But at the same time, the artist was able to reproduce the picture of a sea battle on his canvas very reliably and convincingly. Ships are burning and exploding, fragments of masts fly up to the sky, rising bluish-red flames mix with clouds, the moon calmly contemplates what is happening from above. Its calm and cold light seems to emphasize the hellish mixture of fire, sea and water. The feeling is that Aivazovsky himself, creating this picture, was experiencing an ongoing event, during which the Russian sailors won. Despite the cruelty of what is seen in the picture, it leaves the impression of a grandiose fireworks and major. The plot of the picture was one of the episodes of the Russian-Turkish war, in which Russia fought for dominance in the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The Turkish fleet at that historical period was considered the strongest. But after several military battles, he hid in a panic in the Chesme Bay. Pursuing the enemy, Russian ships blocked the exit from the bay, and in one night they completely destroyed and burned the entire Turkish fleet. The Russian fleet lost only 11 sailors that night, while the Turks - 10 thousand. Human. Russia has never experienced such a victory in the history of naval battles. Count Alexei Orlov commanded the events, and Catherine II, being the empress. She ordered the erection of a monument to the heroes who participated in the Battle of Chesme in Tsarskoe Selo. The monument was made in the form of a column, which still stands today in the center of a large pond. The allegorical sculpture is completed by the silhouette of a double-headed eagle breaking a marble crescent. Aivazovsky, wanting to feel the scale of the naval battle, took part in some wars, after which he created many battle canvases. Aivazovsky's painting "The Battle of Chesme" demonstrates the brilliant skill of the painter, his technique and the courage of execution. In the same 1848 Aivazovsky painted the painting “The Battle in the Cheos Strait”, which made a worthy pair for the Battle of Chesme, glorifying the victory of the Russian fleet. Aivazovsky was the brightest of the last representatives of the romantic mood in Russian painting. This was especially evident in his pathetic heroic naval battles.
