Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is known as an artist, one of the themes of whose work was the sea. Either calm, as in the painting "The Bay of Naples", or raging, as in the painting "The Ninth Wave", it is the basis of the universe. Very often Aivazovsky depicted on his canvases battle scenes. But the artist has a whole cycle of paintings dedicated to the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The two artists were personally acquainted. I.K. Aivazovsky loved the work of Pushkin, and he highly appreciated the work of the artist. Their acquaintance took place at one of the exhibitions in St. Petersburg in 1836.
In the eighties of the nineteenth century, I.K. Aivazovsky creates canvases dedicated to his beloved poet. On them we see Pushkin on the seashore, either lying or standing. One of famous paintings cycle is Pushkin's Farewell to the Sea. The poet also loved the sea; he has a poem "Farewell to the free element." Very often, the painting "Pushkin's Farewell to the Sea" is called as the poem of the great poet.
In the picture, Aivazovsky depicted the sea not as calm and quiet, but raging. Sea waves are not blue, as in Pushkin's poem, but dark. They menacingly roll onto the shore, breaking on the coastal rocks. A little further from the shore, the water is generally black. The sea merges on the horizon with a cloudy, gloomy sky, through which ominous clouds run.
Pushkin stands on a rock near the water. He has taken off his hat and is holding it in his hand. The wind blows his hair, tore the hood off his head. But the poet is not at all annoyed. On the contrary, his face is light and calm. The gaze is fixed on the water surface, which rolls ashore with a roar and, crashing against the rocks, rolls back. He seems to be saying something to the sea. Perhaps he reads his parting poems to him:
Farewell free element!
IN last time in front of me
You roll blue waves
And shine with proud beauty.
For a poet, the sea is close friend with whom he will never see again, but will always remember him. The free sea element attracts a poet who has never been completely free. And, standing on the shore of the raging sea, he, perhaps, at least on a short time felt complete freedom, felt unity with the rebellious elements that so attracted him. And the sea in the picture seems alive. It answers the poet with its roar, as if saddened by the imminent separation.
I.K. Aivazovsky managed to convey in his work the whole gamut of feelings that the poet owns, as if he were watching him, standing just a few steps away, hearing every word, every breath of the poet.
Composition based on the painting by Aivazovsky “Farewell to the free element”
The famous romantic poet Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich has been known to everyone for many years. A large number of artists wanted to depict his portrait. Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich is also one of them. But he did not paint a portrait of the poet, he, without changing his element, depicted him on the seashore, calling the picture "Pushkin by the Sea." Since childhood, he was in love with his work and was incredibly happy to meet him. He dedicated several thousand paintings to him. In Pushkin, Aivazovsky saw soul mate because he was also in love with the sea. There is another name for the painting "Farewell of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin to the Black Sea." This is one of the most the best pictures Pushkin theme.
In this picture, the author combined two of his favorite muses - the sea and Alexander Pushkin. The fact that this is a farewell picture can be seen from the dull colors and tones. The brightest spot is the silhouette of Pushkin. In his black tailcoat, he is very different from the yellow-marsh with blue tints of the sea, gray rocks and the sky covered with dirty clouds. With one hand he holds on to a stone, and with the other he takes off his hat, saying goodbye to the sea. It is also restless. Beats waves on the rocks, as if answering the poet. The sea is sad, rebelling, does not want to say goodbye. The sky is also sad. Everything is covered in thick gray clouds. And the wind curls around the poet, developing his hair and clothes. With all their appearance, both the sea and the hero of the picture show that they do not want to say goodbye.
Why is the Aivazovsky Sea so alive, breathing and transparent? What is the axis of any of his paintings? Where should we look to enjoy his masterpieces to the fullest? As he wrote: is it long, short, joyful or painful? And what does impressionism have to do with Aivazovsky?
Of course, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was born a genius. But there was also a craft that he mastered brilliantly and in the intricacies of which one wants to understand. So, from what were the sea foam and moon paths of Aivazovsky born?
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Storm on rocky shores.
"Secret colors", Aivazovsky wave, glazing
Ivan Kramskoy wrote to Pavel Tretyakov: “Aivazovsky probably has the secret of composing paints, and even the paints themselves are secret; I have never seen such bright and pure tones even on the shelves of Muscat shops. Some of Aivazovsky's secrets have come down to us, although the main one is not a secret at all: in order to write the sea like that, you need to be born by the sea, live near it long life, for which you can’t get enough of them.
The famous "Aivazovsky wave" is a foamy, almost transparent sea wave, according to sensations - moving, impetuous, alive. The artist achieved transparency using the glazing technique, that is, applying the thinnest layers of paint on top of each other. Aivazovsky preferred oil, but often his waves seem like watercolors. It is as a result of glazing that the image acquires this transparency, and the colors seem very saturated, but not due to the density of the stroke, but due to the special depth and subtlety. Aivazovsky's virtuoso glazing is a delight for collectors: most of his paintings are in excellent condition - the thinnest layers of paint are less prone to cracking.
Aivazovsky wrote rapidly, often creating works in one session, so his glazing technique had author's nuances. Here is what Nikolai Barsamov, the longtime director of the Feodosia art gallery and the greatest connoisseur of Aivazovsky's work: “... he sometimes glazed water over a semi-dry underpainting. Often the artist glazed the waves at their base, which gave depth and strength to the colorful tone and achieved the effect of a transparent wave. Sometimes glazing darkened significant planes of the picture. But glazing in Aivazovsky's painting was not mandatory. last step work, as was the case with the old masters with a three-layer method of painting. All his painting was basically carried out in one step, and glazing was often used by him as one of the ways to apply a paint layer on white ground at the beginning of work, and not just as final registrations at the end of work. The artist sometimes used glazing at the first stage of work, covering significant planes of the picture with a translucent layer of paint and using the white ground of the canvas as a luminous lining. So sometimes he wrote water. Skillfully distributing a layer of paint of various densities over the canvas, Aivazovsky achieved a true transmission of the transparency of water.
Aivazovsky turned to glazes not only when working on waves and clouds, but with their help he was able to breathe life into the land. “Aivazovsky painted earth and stones with coarse bristly brushes. It is possible that he cut them on purpose so that the hard ends of the bristles would leave furrows on the paint layer, says art historian Barsamov. - The paint in these places is usually laid in a dense layer. As a rule, Aivazovsky almost always glazed the ground. The glazing (darker) tone, falling into the furrows from the bristles, gave a kind of liveliness to the colorful layer and greater reality to the depicted form.
As for the question “where did the paint come from?”, it is known that in last years he bought paints from the Berlin firm Mewes. Everything is simple. But there is also a legend: as if Aivazovsky bought paints from Turner. Only one thing can be said about this: it is theoretically possible, but even if so, Aivazovsky definitely did not paint all 6,000 of his works with Turner paints. And the picture that the impressed Turner dedicated the poem to was created by Aivazovsky even before he met the great British marine painter.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Bay of Naples on a moonlit night. “In your picture I see the moon with its gold and silver, standing above the sea, reflected in it. The surface of the sea, on which a light breeze catches up with a quivering swell, seems to be a field of sparks. Forgive me great artist if I was mistaken in taking the picture for reality, but your work fascinated me, and delight took possession of me. Your art is eternal and powerful, because genius inspires you,” William Turner’s poems about Aivazovsky’s painting “The Bay of Naples on a Moonlit Night”.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Among the waves. The main thing is to start, or At the pace of Aivazovsky
Aivazovsky always began work with the image of the sky, and he wrote it in one go - it could be 10 minutes or 6 hours. He painted the light in the sky not with the side surface of the brush, but with its end, that is, he “illuminated” the sky with numerous quick touches of the brush. The sky is ready - you can relax, get distracted (however, he allowed himself this only with paintings that took a lot of time). The sea could write in several passes.
To work on a painting for a long time in the view of Ivan Aivazovsky is, for example, to paint one canvas for 10 days. That is how much it took the artist, who at that time was 81 years old, to create his own big picture- "Among the waves." At the same time, according to his confession, his whole life was a preparation for this picture. That is, the work required maximum effort from the artist - and for ten whole days. But in the history of art, it is not uncommon for paintings to be painted for twenty or more years (for example, Fyodor Bruni wrote his “ copper serpent» 14 years old, started in 1827 and finished in 1841).
In Italy, Aivazovsky certain period got along with Alexander Ivanov, the same one who wrote The Appearance of Christ to the People for 20 years, from 1837 to 1857. They even tried to work together, but soon quarreled. Ivanov could work on a sketch for months, trying to achieve the special accuracy of a poplar leaf, while Aivazovsky managed to walk all around and paint several pictures during this time: “I can’t write quietly, I can’t pore for months. I don’t leave the picture until I speak out.” So different talents, different ways to create - hard labor and joyful admiration of life - could not stay close for a long time.
Ivan Aivazovsky next to his painting, photograph, 1898. 
Aivazovsky at the easel. “The atmosphere of the workshop was exceptionally simple. In front of the easel there was a simple chair with a wicker reed seat, the back of which was covered with a rather thick layer of paint, since Aivazovsky had a habit of throwing his hand with a brush behind the back of the chair and, sitting half a turn to the picture, looked at it, ”- from the memoirs of Konstantin Artseulov , this grandson of Aivazovsky also became an artist.
Creativity as joy
Aivazovsky's muse (forgive us this pompousness) is joyful, not painful. “By the lightness, apparent ease of the movement of the hand, by the contented expression of the face, one could safely say that such work is a real pleasure,” these are the impressions of an official of the Ministry imperial court, writer Vasily Krivenko, who watched how Aivazovsky works.
Aivazovsky, of course, saw that for many artists their gift is either a blessing or a curse, other paintings are written almost with blood, exhausting and exhausting their creator. For him, approaching the canvas with a brush has always been the most great joy and happiness, he acquired a special lightness and omnipotence in his workshop. At the same time, Aivazovsky listened carefully to good advice, did not dismiss the remarks of people whom he valued and respected. Although not enough to believe that the lightness of his brush is a drawback.
Plein air VS workshop
Only the lazy did not talk about the importance of working with nature in those years. Aivazovsky, on the other hand, preferred to make fleeting sketches from life, and write in the studio. “Preferred”, perhaps, is not quite the right word, it's not about convenience, it was his principled choice. He believed that it was impossible to depict from nature the movement of the elements, the breath of the sea, the peals of thunder and the flashing of lightning - and that was what interested him. Aivazovsky had phenomenal memory and considered it his task "in nature" to absorb what was happening. Feeling and memorizing, in order to return to the studio, throw out these feelings on the canvas - that's why nature is needed. At the same time, Aivazovsky was an excellent copyist. During training with Maxim Vorobyov, he demonstrated this skill to the fullest. But copying - at least someone's paintings, even nature - seemed to him much less than he was able to do.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Amalfi Bay in 1842. Sketch. 1880s 
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Coast in Amalfi. About the rapid work of Aivazovsky and what his sketches from nature were, the artist Ilya Ostroukhov left detailed memories:
"With the manner of doing artwork the late famous marine painter Aivazovsky, I happened to get acquainted in 1889, during one of my foreign trips, in Biarritz. At about the same time that I arrived in Biarritz, Aivazovsky also arrived there. The venerable artist was already then, as I remember, about seventy years old ... Having learned that I was well acquainted with the topography of the area, [he] immediately pulled me for a walk along the ocean shore. The day was stormy, and Aivazovsky, fascinated by the view of the ocean surf, stopped on the beach ...
Without taking his eyes off the ocean and the landscape of distant mountains, he slow motion got my little one notebook and drew only three lines with a pencil - the outline of distant mountains, the line of the ocean at the foot of these mountains, and the line of the coast from myself. Then we went on with him. After walking about a verst, he stopped again and made the same drawing of several lines in the other direction.
It's a cloudy day today, - said Aivazovsky, - and you can only tell me, please, where the sun rises and sets here.
I pointed. Aivazovsky put a few dots in the book and hid the book in his pocket.
- Now let's go. For me this is enough. Tomorrow I will paint the ocean surf in Biarritz.
The next day, three spectacular pictures of the sea surf were really written: in Biarritz: in the morning, at noon and at sunset ... "
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Biarritz. 1889 Aivazovsky's sun, or what does impressionism have to do with it
The Armenian artist Martiros Saryan noticed that no matter how grandiose the storm Aivazovsky portrayed, in the upper part of the canvas, always through the accumulation thunderclouds a ray of light will break through - sometimes clear, sometimes thin and barely noticeable: "It is in it, this Light, that the meaning of all the storms depicted by Aivazovsky lies."
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Storm in the North Sea. 
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlight night. 1849
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Bay of Naples on a moonlit night. 1892 
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. The ship "Empress Maria" during a storm. 1892 
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlit night in Capri. 1841 If this is the sun, then it will light the blackest storm, if lunar path, then fill the entire canvas with its flicker. We are not going to call Aivazovsky either an impressionist or a forerunner of impressionism. But let us quote the words of the patron Alexei Tomilov - he criticizes the paintings of Aivazovsky: "The figures are sacrificed to such an extent that it is not possible to recognize: in the foreground they are men or women (...) air and water flaunt." We say about the Impressionists that the main characters of their paintings are color and light, one of the main tasks is the transmission of light-air mass. In the works of Aivazovsky, light is in the first place, and yes, quite right, air and water (in his case, this is about the sky and the sea). Everything else is built around this main thing.
He strives not only to portray plausibly, but to convey sensations: the sun should shine so that you want to close your eyes, the viewer will shrink from the wind, recoil from the wave in fright. The latter, in particular, was done by Repin, when Aivazovsky suddenly opened the door of the room in front of him, behind which stood his "Ninth Wave".
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ninth shaft. How to look at Aivazovsky's paintings
The artist gave absolutely unambiguous recommendations: you should look for the brightest point on the canvas, the source of light, and, peering intently at it, slide your eyes over the canvas. For example, when he was reproached that Moonlit Night was not finished, he argued that if the viewer “turns his main attention to the moon and gradually, adhering to the interesting point of the picture, looks at other parts of the picture in passing, and beyond that, not forgetting that this is a night that robs us of all reflection, then such a viewer will find that this picture is more finished than it should be.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlit night in Crimea. Gurzuf, 1839, 101×136.5 cm. Konstantin Aivazovsky is not one of those artists who lose inspiration in the process and leave the work unfinished. But one day this happened to him too - he did not finish the painting “The Explosion of the Ship” (1900). Death intervened. This unfinished work especially valuable for researchers of his work. It allows you to understand what the artist considered the main thing in the picture, with the study of which elements he began work. We see that Aivazovsky began with the ship and the flame of the explosion - something that will take the viewer by the soul. And the artist left the details, on which the viewer will simply glide with his eyes, for later.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ship explosion. 1900 
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Azure grotto. Naples. 1841 The modern viewer is sometimes discouraged by the intense color of Aivazovsky's paintings, his bright, uncompromising colors. There is an explanation for this. And this is not at all the bad taste of the artist.
Fragment of Ivan Aivazovsky's painting "Ship in the Stormy Sea" (Hermitage). Today we look at the marinas of Aivazovsky in museums. Often these are provincial galleries, with a dilapidated interior and no special lighting, which is replaced by simple light from the window. But during the life of Aivazovsky, his paintings hung in rich living rooms and even in palaces. Under stucco ceilings, on walls pasted over with luxurious tapestries, in the light of chandeliers and candelabra. It is quite possible that the artist took care that his paintings were not lost against the background of colorful carpets and gilded furniture.
Connoisseurs say that Aivazovsky's night landscapes, which often look rustic in poor natural light or under rare lamps, come to life, become mysterious and noble, as the artist intended them to be, when viewed by candlelight. Especially those paintings that Aivazovsky painted by candlelight.
Why is the Aivazovsky Sea so alive, breathing and transparent? What is the axis of any of his paintings? Where should we look to enjoy his masterpieces to the fullest? As he wrote: is it long, short, joyful or painful? And what does impressionism have to do with Aivazovsky?
Of course, Aivazovsky was born a genius. But there was also a craft that he mastered brilliantly and in the intricacies of which one wants to understand. So, from what were the sea foam and lunar paths of Aivazovsky born? ..
fragment of Aivazovsky's painting "Ship in the Stormy Sea" (Hermitage).
Storm on rocky shores
1875, 73×102 cm
"Secret colors", Aivazovsky wave, glazing
“I accidentally got acquainted with the manner of performing artworks by the late famous marine painter Aivazovsky in 1889, during one of my trips abroad, in Biarritz. At about the same time that I arrived in Biarritz, Aivazovsky also arrived there. The venerable artist was already then, as I remember, about seventy years old ... Having learned that I was well acquainted with the topography of the area, [he] immediately pulled me for a walk along the ocean shore. The day was stormy, and Aivazovsky, fascinated by the view of the ocean surf, stopped on the beach ...
Without taking his eyes off the ocean and the landscape of distant mountains, he slowly took out his tiny notebook and drew only three lines with a pencil - the outline of distant mountains, the line of the ocean at the foot of these mountains, and the line of the coast from himself. Then we went on with him. After walking about a verst, he stopped again and made the same drawing of several lines in the other direction.
It's a cloudy day today, - said Aivazovsky, - and you can only tell me, please, where the sun rises and sets here.
I pointed. Aivazovsky put a few dots in the book and hid the book in his pocket.
Now let's go. For me this is enough. Tomorrow I will paint the ocean surf in Biarritz.
The next day, three spectacular pictures of the sea surf were really written: in Biarritz: in the morning, at noon and at sunset ... "
Biarritz
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski
1889, 18×27 cm
Aivazovsky's sun, or what does impressionism have to do with it
A very valuable article for both the viewer and the professional artist.
Why is the Aivazovsky Sea so alive, breathing and transparent? What is the axis of any of his paintings? Where should we look to enjoy his masterpieces to the fullest? As he wrote: is it long, short, joyful or painful? And what does impressionism have to do with Aivazovsky?
Of course, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was born a genius. But there was also a craft that he mastered brilliantly and in the intricacies of which one wants to understand. So, from what were the sea foam and moon paths of Aivazovsky born?
"Secret colors", Aivazovsky wave, glazing
Ivan Kramskoy wrote to Pavel Tretyakov: “Aivazovsky probably has the secret of composing paints, and even the paints themselves are secret; I have never seen such bright and pure tones even on the shelves of Muscat shops. Some of Aivazovsky's secrets have come down to us, although the main one is not a secret at all: in order to write the sea like that, you need to be born by the sea, live a long life near it, for which you never get fed up with it.
The famous “Aivazovsky wave” is a foamy, almost transparent sea wave, which feels like it is moving, swift, alive. The artist achieved transparency using the glazing technique, that is, applying the thinnest layers of paint on top of each other. Aivazovsky preferred oil, but often his waves seem like watercolors. It is as a result of glazing that the image acquires this transparency, and the colors seem very saturated, but not due to the density of the stroke, but due to the special depth and subtlety. Aivazovsky's virtuoso glazing is a delight for collectors: most of his paintings are in excellent condition - the thinnest layers of paint are less prone to cracking.
Aivazovsky wrote rapidly, often creating works in one session, so his glazing technique had author's nuances. Here is what Nikolai Barsamov, the director of the Feodosia Art Gallery and the greatest connoisseur of Aivazovsky's work, writes about this: “... he sometimes glazed water over a semi-dry underpainting. Often the artist glazed the waves at their base, which gave depth and strength to the colorful tone and achieved the effect of a transparent wave. Sometimes glazing darkened significant planes of the picture. But glazing in Aivazovsky's painting was not an obligatory last stage of work, as was the case with the old masters with the three-layer method of painting. All his painting was basically carried out in one step, and glazing was often used by him as one of the ways to apply a paint layer on white ground at the beginning of work, and not just as final registrations at the end of work. The artist sometimes used glazing at the first stage of work, covering significant planes of the picture with a translucent layer of paint and using the white ground of the canvas as a luminous lining. So sometimes he wrote water. Skillfully distributing a layer of paint of various densities over the canvas, Aivazovsky achieved a true transmission of the transparency of water.
Aivazovsky turned to glazes not only when working on waves and clouds, but with their help he was able to breathe life into the land. “Aivazovsky painted earth and stones with coarse bristly brushes. It is possible that he cut them on purpose so that the hard ends of the bristles would leave furrows on the paint layer, says art historian Barsamov. - The paint in these places is usually laid in a dense layer. As a rule, Aivazovsky almost always glazed the ground. The glazing (darker) tone, falling into the furrows from the bristles, gave a kind of liveliness to the colorful layer and greater reality to the depicted form.
As for the question “Where did the colors come from?”, it is known that in recent years he bought paints from the Berlin company Mewes. Everything is simple. But there is also a legend: as if Aivazovsky bought paints from Turner. Only one thing can be said about this: it is theoretically possible, but even if so, Aivazovsky definitely did not paint all 6,000 of his works with Turner paints. And the picture that the impressed Turner dedicated the poem to was created by Aivazovsky even before he met the great British marine painter.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Bay of Naples on a moonlit night.
“In your picture I see the moon with its gold and silver, standing above the sea, reflected in it. The surface of the sea, on which a light breeze catches up with a quivering swell, seems to be a field of sparks. Forgive me, great artist, if I made a mistake in mistaking the picture for reality, but your work fascinated me, and delight took possession of me. Your art is eternal and powerful, because genius inspires you,” William Turner’s poems about Aivazovsky’s painting “The Bay of Naples on a Moonlit Night”.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Among the waves.
The main thing is to start, or At the pace of Aivazovsky
Aivazovsky always began work with the image of the sky, and he wrote it in one go - it could be 10 minutes or 6 hours. He painted the light in the sky not with the side surface of the brush, but with its end, that is, he “illuminated” the sky with numerous quick touches of the brush. The sky is ready - you can relax, get distracted (however, he allowed himself this only with paintings that took a lot of time). The sea could write in several passes.
To work on a painting for a long time in the view of Ivan Aivazovsky is, for example, to paint one canvas for 10 days. That is how much it took the artist, who at that time was 81 years old, to create his largest painting - "Among the Waves". At the same time, according to his confession, his whole life was a preparation for this picture. That is, the work required maximum effort from the artist - and for ten whole days. But in the history of art, it is not uncommon for paintings to be painted for twenty or more years (for example, Fyodor Bruni painted his “Copper Serpent” for 14 years, started in 1827, and finished in 1841).
In Italy, Aivazovsky at a certain period made friends with Alexander Ivanov, the same one who wrote The Appearance of Christ to the People for 20 years, from 1837 to 1857. They even tried to work together, but soon quarreled. Ivanov could work on a sketch for months, trying to achieve the special accuracy of a poplar leaf, while Aivazovsky managed to walk all around and paint several pictures during this time: “I can’t write quietly, I can’t pore for months. I don’t leave the picture until I speak out.” Such different talents, different ways to create - hard labor and joyful admiration of life - could not stay close for long.
Ivan Aivazovsky next to his painting, photograph, 1898.
Aivazovsky at the easel.
“The atmosphere of the workshop was exceptionally simple. In front of the easel there was a simple chair with a wicker reed seat, the back of which was covered with a rather thick layer of paint, since Aivazovsky had a habit of throwing his hand with a brush behind the back of the chair and, sitting half a turn to the picture, looked at it, ”- from the memoirs of Konstantin Artseulov , this grandson of Aivazovsky also became an artist.
Creativity as joy
Aivazovsky's muse (forgive us this pompousness) is joyful, not painful. “By the ease, apparent ease of hand movement, by the satisfied expression on his face, one could safely say that such work is a real pleasure,” these are the impressions of an official of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, writer Vasily Krivenko, who watched how Aivazovsky works.
Aivazovsky, of course, saw that for many artists their gift is either a blessing or a curse, other paintings are written almost with blood, exhausting and exhausting their creator. For him, approaching the canvas with a brush has always been the greatest joy and happiness, he acquired a special lightness and omnipotence in his workshop. At the same time, Aivazovsky carefully listened to practical advice, did not dismiss the comments of people whom he valued and respected. Although not enough to believe that the lightness of his brush is a drawback.
Plein air VS workshop
Only the lazy did not talk about the importance of working with nature in those years. Aivazovsky, on the other hand, preferred to make fleeting sketches from life, and write in the studio. “Preferred”, perhaps, is not quite the right word, it's not about convenience, it was his principled choice. He believed that it was impossible to depict from nature the movement of the elements, the breath of the sea, the peals of thunder and the flashing of lightning - and that was what interested him. Aivazovsky had a phenomenal memory and considered his task "in nature" to absorb what was happening. Feeling and memorizing, in order to return to the studio, throw out these feelings on the canvas - that's why nature is needed. At the same time, Aivazovsky was an excellent copyist. During training with Maxim Vorobyov, he demonstrated this skill to the fullest. But copying - at least someone's paintings, even nature - seemed to him much less than he was able to do.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Amalfi Bay in 1842. Sketch. 1880s
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Coast in Amalfi.
About the rapid work of Aivazovsky and what his sketches from nature were, the artist Ilya Ostroukhov left detailed memories:
“I accidentally got acquainted with the manner of performing artworks by the late famous marine painter Aivazovsky in 1889, during one of my trips abroad, in Biarritz. At about the same time that I arrived in Biarritz, Aivazovsky also arrived there. The venerable artist was already then, as I remember, about seventy years old ... Having learned that I was well acquainted with the topography of the area, [he] immediately pulled me for a walk along the ocean shore. The day was stormy, and Aivazovsky, fascinated by the view of the ocean surf, stopped on the beach ...
Without taking his eyes off the ocean and the landscape of distant mountains, he slowly took out his tiny notebook and drew only three lines with a pencil - the outline of distant mountains, the line of the ocean at the foot of these mountains, and the line of the coast from himself. Then we went on with him. After walking about a verst, he stopped again and made the same drawing of several lines in the other direction.
It's a cloudy day today, - said Aivazovsky, - and you can only tell me, please, where the sun rises and sets here.
I pointed. Aivazovsky put a few dots in the book and hid the book in his pocket.
Now let's go. For me this is enough. Tomorrow I will paint the ocean surf in Biarritz.
The next day, three spectacular pictures of the sea surf were really written: in Biarritz: in the morning, at noon and at sunset ... "
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Biarritz. 1889
Aivazovsky's sun, or what does impressionism have to do with it
The Armenian artist Martiros Saryan noted that no matter how grandiose the storm Aivazovsky depicted, in the upper part of the canvas a ray of light will always break through the accumulation of thunderclouds - sometimes clear, sometimes subtle and barely noticeable: “It is in it, this Light, that the meaning of all depicted by Aivazovsky storms.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Storm in the North Sea.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlight night. 1849
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Bay of Naples on a moonlit night. 1892
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ship "Empress Maria" during a storm. 1892
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlit night in Capri. 1841
If it is the sun, then it will illuminate the blackest storm, if it is a lunar path, then it will fill the entire canvas with its flicker. We are not going to call Aivazovsky either an impressionist or a forerunner of impressionism. But let us quote the words of patron Alexei Tomilov - he criticizes Aivazovsky's paintings: "The figures are sacrificed to such an extent that it is not possible to recognize: in the foreground they are men or women (...) air and water flaunt." We say about the Impressionists that the main characters of their paintings are color and light, one of the main tasks is the transmission of light-air mass. In the works of Aivazovsky, light is in the first place, and yes, quite right, air and water (in his case, this is about the sky and the sea). Everything else is built around this main thing.
He strives not only to portray plausibly, but to convey sensations: the sun should shine so that you want to close your eyes, the viewer will shrink from the wind, recoil from the wave in fright. The latter, in particular, was done by Repin, when Aivazovsky suddenly opened the door of the room in front of him, behind which stood his "Ninth Wave".
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ninth shaft.
How to look at Aivazovsky's paintings
The artist gave absolutely unambiguous recommendations: you should look for the brightest point on the canvas, the source of light, and, peering intently at it, slide your eyes over the canvas. For example, when he was reproached that Moonlit Night was not finished, he argued that if the viewer “turns his main attention to the moon and gradually, adhering to the interesting point of the picture, looks at other parts of the picture in passing, and beyond that, not forgetting that this is a night that robs us of all reflection, then such a viewer will find that this picture is more finished than it should be.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Moonlit night in Crimea. Gurzuf, 1839, 101×136.5 cm.
Konstantin Aivazovsky is not one of those artists who lose inspiration in the process and leave the work unfinished. But one day this happened to him too - he did not finish the painting “The Explosion of the Ship” (1900). Death intervened. This unfinished work is especially valuable for researchers of his work. It allows you to understand what the artist considered the main thing in the picture, with the study of which elements he began work. We see that Aivazovsky began with the ship and the flame of the explosion - something that will take the viewer by the soul. And the artist left the details, on which the viewer will simply glide with his eyes, for later.
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Ship explosion. 1900
Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovski. Azure grotto. Naples. 1841
The modern viewer is sometimes discouraged by the intense color of Aivazovsky's paintings, his bright, uncompromising colors. There is an explanation for this. And this is not at all the bad taste of the artist.
Fragment of Ivan Aivazovsky's painting "Ship in the Stormy Sea" (Hermitage).
Today we look at the marinas of Aivazovsky in museums. Often these are provincial galleries, with a dilapidated interior and no special lighting, which is replaced by simple light from the window. But during the life of Aivazovsky, his paintings hung in rich living rooms and even in palaces. Under stucco ceilings, on walls pasted over with luxurious tapestries, in the light of chandeliers and candelabra. It is quite possible that the artist took care that his paintings were not lost against the background of colorful carpets and gilded furniture.
Connoisseurs say that Aivazovsky's night landscapes, which often look rustic in poor natural light or under rare lamps, come to life, become mysterious and noble, as the artist intended them to be, when viewed by candlelight. Especially those paintings that Aivazovsky painted by candlelight. (C)
Aivazovsky is one of my favorite artists.
He devoted his whole life to creating paintings with maritime theme.
He masterfully depicted the sea element, no one else before or after him did it better.
“The sea is my life,” said Aivazovsky, and indeed passionately, to the point of deification, bowed before the object of his love.
The painting “Among the Waves” was painted in 1898, at the age of 81 of the artist’s life.
In this picture, the author skillfully depicted an angry sea element.
We see a storm on the canvas, a raging sea, a stormy sky, strong waves, seething and boiling, ready to absorb all living things.
It is noteworthy that the author depicts only the sea, merged with a stormy sky.
There are no wrecks of ships, masts, dying sailors who are trying to fight the elements, although all this is present in other paintings by the author.
Aivazovsky depicts a very low horizon, the stormy sky and the raging sea element are almost not separated.
This canvas evokes a storm of emotions in me, there is excitement, anxiety, fear, but at the same time admiration for the greatness of the sea element.
Only master of genius could create such a simple composition, but evoking such a complex palette of emotions picture.
When I look at this amazing picture, it seems to me that I hear the roar of the waves and the terrifying peals of thunder.
The picturesque palette of colors consists of numerous shades of gray, green, blue.
Surprisingly colorful gamma, while extremely stingy in color, almost monochrome.
We also see the snow-white lacy foam of the waves, which adds a solemn color to the picture.
Compositionally and subjectively, the picture is very simple, but very deep in perception.
Here we see lead clouds, a storm wind, evil waves, but at the same time we can notice a wide beam of light in the corner of the picture, as a hope for future bright changes.
The storm will soon subside, and we will again see a calm sea.
The most amazing thing is that the sea in Aivazovsky's paintings is always alive.
There are no people or animals in this picture, main character paintings, like most of the artist's paintings, the sea.
I would like to compare the painting “Among the Waves” with another creation of this great master, which is called “The Wave”.
On the one hand, these paintings are very similar, on both we see a storm, a seething and raging sea, a low horizon line, which combines the sea element with an angry sky.
The paintings are similar in color scheme.
But at the same time, the picture “Wave” is gloomy, it depicts a destructive element that absorbs the ship and all life on board, brings death.
And the painting “Among the Waves” is surprisingly solemn, there are many light colors in it, here we see the greatness of the sea element, and not death and destruction.
The painting “Among the Waves” is rightfully considered the pinnacle of the artist’s work and a masterpiece of world painting.
For the author, it also had a special meaning, which is why he bequeathed it to his hometown- Feodosia, where it is still kept.
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