Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky: years of life, biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

If you ask a person who is far from art, which of the great painters he can name, then his answer will definitely sound the name of the magnificent Russian artist - marine painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky. In addition to paintings of the sea element, Aivazovsky left a great many works of other subjects. The artist traveled a lot around different countries and always painted what impressed him.

Childhood

The artist's surname originally sounded like Ayvazyan, and the name recorded at baptism was Hovhannes. His parents, Armenians by origin, lived in Feodosia. It was in this city, in the family of the merchant Gevork (Konstantin) and his wife Repsime, on July 17, 1817 (Aivazovsky's date of birth is indicated according to the old style), the little son Hovhannes was born. The artist had three sisters and a brother Sargis, who later took monastic vows and received the name Gabriel.

The clan of the Aivazovsky familyoriginates in Galicia, where the artist's ancestors moved from Armenia. His grandfather Grigor and grandmother Ashkhen owned land near the city of Lvov. Unfortunately, more accurate information about the origin of the family has not been preserved. The artist's father, after a quarrel with his brothers, ends up in Feodosia and changes his last name to Gaivazovsky.

The first years of Aivazovsky's life were spent in Feodosia on the Black Sea coast, already in childhood he began to be interested in painting and music. The little boy painted his first pictures on the white walls of the houses of Feodosia with black charcoal. The architect Yakov Kokh drew attention to his abilities, who began to teach the boy and helped him, after receiving an education at the district school, enter the Simferopol gymnasium.

Education in St. Petersburg

In the autumn of 1833, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky arrives in St. Petersburg. He is accepted at public expense to the Imperial Academy of Arts. First, he studied with M. Vorobyov in the landscape class, and then was transferred to the assistant to the marine painter F. Tanner, a Frenchman by birth. By this time, Aivazovsky managed to get a silver medal for the landscapes "View of the seaside in the vicinity of St. Petersburg" and "Etude of air over the sea", which were presented to the public at an academic exhibition.

Quarrel with teacher

In the biography of the marine painter Aivazovsky there was an interesting incident that happened between him and his teacher. Working as an assistant to Tanner, Ivan Aivazovsky did not have the rightwork independently. But the young artist, despite the agreement with the teacher, continued to paint his own landscapes, and at the 1836 exhibition at the Academy of Arts he exhibited five paintings. Critics were delighted with the work of Aivazovsky, which cannot be said about Tanner, who was so offended by the success of his student and assistant that he complained to Emperor Nicholas the First himself. The works of the young painter were immediately removed from the exhibition.

Six months later, Aivazovsky was assigned to the class of Professor Sauerweid, a specialist in battle painting. After studying with a professor for several months, in 1837 the artist received the Big Gold Medal for the painting “Calm” he painted. The result of Aivazovsky's creativity and his success at the Academy of Arts was the decision to graduate from his studies two years earlier than expected, and send him to the Crimea for independent work for this time, since the Academy had already taught the young master everything he could.

Return to Crimea

Returning to the Crimea in 1838, Aivazovsky tries to work hard and productively. Two years of Aivazovsky's life were devoted to work on seascapes and battle scenes. For this, he takes part in hostilities and oversees the landing of military troops on the coast of Circassia. The painting “Landing of a Detachment in the Subashi Valley” painted by him was the result of these observations and was a great success with the emperor. Nicholas purchased the painting from the artist and used it to glorify the exploits of the fleet.

By the autumn of 1839 Aivazovskyreturns to St. Petersburg to receive a certificate. In addition, he receives a rank and personal nobility. In the summer of 1840, together with his friend V. Sternberg, he went on a trip to Italy.

Practice in Italy

During the time spent in Italy, Aivazovsky managed to visit Rome, Florence, Venice, where he met Gogol. He visits the island of St. Lazarus, where his brother Gabriel lives in a monastery. The brothers had not seen each other for many years. Monk Aivazovsky leaves as a gift his painting “Chaos. Creation of the World”, the plot of which is based on biblical events.

In the process of working on the shores of Italy, Aivazovsky develops his own way of painting. The artist had a very well-developed visual memory, he had a rich imagination, so he worked little in the open air and finished painting in the studio. The Italian works created by Aivazovsky were a great success in society. The English artist William Turner gave Aivazovsky's paintings very good reviews. The works were noted at the Paris Academy and awarded a gold medal.

The Ninth Wave

After working in Italy, Aivazovsky continues his trip to Europe. He visits Switzerland, Holland, England, France, Portugal, Spain. The artist always keeps an album with him and sketches seascapes and nature that stretches along the coast. While traveling along the Bay of Biscay, the ship on which the artist was located falls into a severe storm. The ship miraculously survived, but the newspapers announced the death of the artist in the waters of the bay. Aivazovsky survived and continuedwork. Eight years after this sea adventure, in 1850, the master paints the painting "The Ninth Wave", which reflects his experiences and impressions of the storm that happened to him in the Bay of Biscay.

Unusual paintings by marine painter

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky spent a lot of time traveling around the world. In all countries, he made sketches and sketches of subjects of interest to him. One of the most unusual works for a marine painter is a picture painted after visiting the opening of the Suez Canal. Aivazovsky's work is called The Great Pyramid of Giza.

Another painting unusual for Aivazovsky was painted in 1837: the canvas is called "View of the Grand Cascade in Peterhof".

During a visit to Constantinople, the artist paints the painting "Eastern Scene". On it, the master depicted a story that takes place in a small coffee shop located in the Ortakoy mosque. The picture was created in 1845. Another painting "Eastern Scene" was also painted in Constantinople a year later.

Besides landscapes, Aivazovsky painted excellent portraits. An example of this is a painting with a portrait of grandmother Ashkhen, painted in 1858.

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was a very successful painter. A rare artist achieved such fame during his lifetime. The master had a greatthe number of awards, he had the rank of admiral., and in 1864 he was awarded the hereditary nobility.

Aivazovsky's life in Feodosia

In 1845, Aivazovsky petitioned the main naval headquarters, where he works as a painter, and the Academy of Arts, of which he is a professor, with a request to allow him to be in the Crimea in order to complete the work begun there. Having received permission, Aivazovsky begins to build a house in his beloved Feodosia. Despite constant trips around the world, Aivazovsky always told his friends that his home was in Feodosia.

The artist is very active in beautifying the city. He opens an art school and an art gallery. The years of Aivazovsky's life in his native city have a very beneficial effect on the development of Feodosia. The city becomes the center of painting and culture in the south of the country. The artist opens a school of painters, the training in which is aimed at developing the talents of landscape painters. In addition to the development of the Cimmerian school, Aivazovsky is involved in the creation of a concert hall and a library in Feodosia.

Not just an artist

Everyone knows that Aivazovsky was a marine painter, but few people know that the master of seascapes was an archaeologist and was a member of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities. According to the project he created and at his expense, an archaeological museum of antiquities was built, located on Mount Mithridates. Unfortunately, the museum was destroyed during the war in 1941.

The artist helped organize the construction and development of the railway, which wasopened in 1892. Thanks to his efforts, the largest trading port on the Crimean coast, located in the master's hometown, was rebuilt.

The story of the Subashinsky source

Aivazovsky's family was quite rich. The artist owned the Subashinsky spring with crystal clear water. In 1886, the master's hometown suffered from a lack of drinking water. Aivazovsky turned out to be a very generous person: seeing the suffering of the inhabitants of Feodosia due to the lack of clean water, he allowed his source to be used. For these purposes, a water supply system was laid, since it was 25 miles from the city to the source. In the city, according to the project of the artist, a fountain was created, any resident could take as much water from it as he needed, and absolutely free of charge. Nowadays, this fountain bears the artist's name.

Master's testament

The years of Aivazovsky's life were filled with creativity and improvement of his native Feodosia. One of the great gifts for the city was an art gallery. The Aivazovsky Museum, opened in the artist's house, is also famous, where paintings are exhibited that, according to Aivazovsky's will, should not leave Feodosia.

At the end of his life, the artist created the painting "Sea Bay" - this is his last completed work. The day before his death, Aivazovsky begins work on the painting "The Explosion of a Turkish Ship", but does not have time to complete it.

He died at the age of 82 on April 19, 1900.

Aivazovsky was married twice, his two grandsons becamepainters. Mikhail Latri was a representative of the Cimmerian school, a painter and ceramics artist. Alexei Ganzen, like his great grandfather, was a marine painter.