Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos" in the Vatican: photo, description of the painting

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

Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. The Creation of the World" evokes a genuine storm of emotions, because every time you look at this handwritten work, you discover more and more new and unexpected details in it. In this article, we will determine the meaning of the famous painting, as well as share facts that will reveal the secret of Ivan Aivazovsky when writing a masterpiece.

Artist biography

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is an outstanding Russian marine painter. Born in Feodosia in 1817 (July 17). He became famous for his accurate and unusual paintings, where in most cases he depicted a seascape.

From early childhood, Ivan Aivazovsky showed an interest in drawing, but since his family lived quite poorly and could not afford to buy paper in large quantities, the boy had to paint pictures on the walls with charcoal. Love for creativity helped little Ivan. Once Aivazovsky erected onon the wall is an image of a huge soldier who was seen by the mayor. The latter, instead of punishment, allowed Ivan to enter the service of the chief architect and learn artistic skills from him. This chance was able to unlock the potential of an outstanding creator, show his best side and pave the way to the world of art.

Famous paintings

Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. The Creation of the World" is not the only one that has been recognized as a world masterpiece and has been preserved to this day. So, the most famous works of the Russian talent were "American ships at Gibr altar", "Seashore", "Storm" in several variations, "Bay on a Moonlit Night", "On the High Seas" and "View of Vesuvius". This is only a small part of the popular paintings of the famous marine painter. In total, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky has more than 6,000 paintings - these are only those that the artist has released.

Interesting facts about the marine painter

• Ivan Aivazovsky has another equally famous name - Hovhannes Ayvazyan.
• Marinist never drew drafts. All his paintings went through a full-fledged stage, from sketches to final touches. Moreover, each work was written in white. For this reason, many of the artist's paintings are a little contradictory, and the marine painter himself often rewrote the images anew, creating entire cycles.

• Paintings of famousthe creator can be found in museums around the world. To visit the exhibition and look at the masterpieces, you will have to pay from 500 to 3000 rubles.
• Each work by Aivazovsky is filled with riddles and mysteries that researchers are trying to unravel.
• The artist traveled a lot, so his paintings show the shores and towns of Italy, Russia, Turkey.
• All the works of the talent are so detailed that they amaze the human eye. Whether it was a simple wave or a huge ship, Aivazovsky skillfully conveyed the nature of objects.

Creation of the world

The picture "Chaos" by Aivazovsky was painted in 1841 and was immediately called the best and most significant work on biblical themes. She was appreciated by Pope Gregory XVI, who awarded the marine painter with a gold medal and the honorary title of an artist. Initially, there was a painting by Aivazovsky "Chaos" in the Vatican, but today the famous work can be seen in the Venice Museum, located on the island of St. Lazarus.

Masterpiece scandal

After the work was completed, Ivan Aivazovsky presented the painting to the Pope. She impressed him so much that Gregory XVI presented her as a significant exhibit in the Vatican Museum. The biblical leitmotif made the picture profound and mysterious, but the Roman cardinals did not agree with the Italian pontiff.

Initially it was believed that Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. The Creation of the World" reflected the devil's power, which manifests itself in the form of thick darkness andclouds. The noise around the image of the marine painter was such that the Vatican had to convene a special council that would compare all the scriptures and confirm the presence of demonism in the work. However, the cardinals did not receive the expected decision, and the summoned council recognized the picture of the Russian artist as clean and bright.

What is pictured?

Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos" depicts an endless raging sea during a storm. With the naked eye, you can see how a bright image is depicted at the very top of the picture, reminiscent of a great creator or God. We see how the darkness is dispelled by light beams illuminating the pitch-black water and high waves. At first glance, small details are invisible, over which the artist worked so carefully. For example, realistic sea wave crests and fluffy clouds.

Description of the picture

Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. The Creation of the World" became known to the whole world relatively recently. Art connoisseurs immediately appreciated the talent of the artist and recognized that great biblical meaning lurks in his work. The reasons why Aivazovsky often painted seascapes, but included writings and prophecies, are still disputed by scholars. However, the marine painter was able to give his paintings expressiveness, accuracy and mystery.

Genesis (Old Testament, the first book of Moses) begins with these phrases: "The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. And God said: let there be light. And there was light. ANDGod saw the light, that it was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. "In his picture, Ivan Aivazovsky perfectly conveyed the words from the cherished book.

We see how the divine silhouette descended over the planet, illuminating the darkness with light, dispelling it. Raging waves disperse and subdue their fury. The dark clouds that have enveloped the whole earth disappear and dissolve. Behind the bright image lies the blue sky, which is about to fill the entire firmament and forever illuminate our beautiful abode. Aivazovsky very accurately conveyed the chaos that was happening at the time of the creation of a miracle on the planet.

The Creator descends on a huge storm cloud. The light that the bright figure emits absorbs the darkness, cutting the waves and calming them. The raging elements gradually calm down, and the sea slowly becomes peaceful, quiet and peaceful. It is no coincidence that Aivazovsky called his painting "Chaos", because here, through unbridled forces, an absolutely measured order is born, which is controlled by the great creator.

Dispute

Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos" not in vain caused a storm of emotions among the cardinals. Take a look at creation: on the horizon, you can see how two cloud figures are fighting each other. In the dark abyss of a thick cloud on the left, you can find a shadow that executes a human silhouette. The main cloud, on which the Creator descended, resembles a demonic image hovering over the raging sea. If you look at the photo of the painting "Chaos" by Aivazovsky, you will certainly notice how on the right side you can clearly seea face looking into the distance. These shadows caused bewilderment among the Roman cardinals, because strange clouds and thunderclouds cannot have a human silhouette by pure chance. In their understanding, this meant that the marine painter sought to depict demonic creatures living in darkness.

Challenge of opinion

From Pontiff Gregory XVI to contemporary critics, the description of Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. The Creation of the World" has been fiercely contested. Following the biblical canons, one can be sure that God is the only creator who was able to create our world from chaos - beautiful and inspiring. But the holy scriptures say that there is also the other side of kindness, where sinners live in darkness, dominated by the devil. Then the picture of the famous Russian marine painter reflects the essence of good and evil, order and chaos, light and all-consuming darkness.

The beautiful creation of the marine painter is worth seeing at least once in order to know the being of our life. There is an opinion that a long viewing of a picture causes an unsettling feeling, which is subsequently replaced by joy and calmness, happiness and kindness. Of course, the photo provided cannot replace the original work in full size, but today you have the opportunity to plunge into the world that the famous Russian artist Hovhannes Ayvazyan gave us.