Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is a Russian marine painter of Armenian origin, one of the most famous masters of seascapes of the 19th century. Academician, professor and honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, as well as honorary member of several European art societies.
Biography
He was born in Feodosia in the family of the Armenian merchant Gevorg (Konstantin) Ayvazyan and Hripsime. Since childhood, he has shown artistic and musical abilities. He received his first painting lessons from the Feodosian architect J. H. Koch. After graduating from the district college and the Simferopol gymnasium, he went to St. Petersburg to enroll in the Imperial Academy of Arts.
He studied in the landscape class with M. N. Vorobyov, the French marine painter F. Tanner and the batalist A. I. Sauerweid. In 1835 he received a silver medal for landscapes "View of the seaside in the vicinity of St. Petersburg" and "Study of the air above the sea", and in 1837 — a large gold medal for the painting "Calm". He graduated from the Academy two years ahead of schedule and was sent to Crimea for two summers for field work, and then went on a business trip abroad.
In 1840, Aivazovsky went to Italy, where he settled in Venice. It was there that he finally changed his name to Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky. He traveled to Italy, met Nikolai Gogol and together with him visited Florence, Rome, Naples, Sorrento.
In 1844 he became a painter at the Main Naval Staff of Russia, and from 1847 he became a professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. In 1848, he married Julia Grefs, and they had four daughters.
Aivazovsky traveled a lot: he visited Asia, the Caucasus, Greece, Egypt and other countries. In 1845, he participated in a geographical expedition led by F. P. Litke, and visited Constantinople. In 1868 he traveled to the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, and in 1869 he was in Egypt at the opening of the Suez Canal. In 1892 he visited America.
He died in Feodosia at the age of 82. According to his will, he was buried in the courtyard of the Armenian Church of St. Sarkis in Feodosia.
Creation
Aivazovsky is primarily known for seascapes and battle scenes, but his work was not limited to these genres. He also created landscapes, portraits, and works based on biblical and literary subjects.
Features of style and technique:
He hardly painted from nature — he only made sketches, and recreated the details from memory in the workshop.;
He worked quickly, sometimes creating full-fledged work in one session.;
He used a modular system: he had different "sets" of clouds, sunsets, waves, and ships in his arsenal, which he could combine in different ways.;
He sought to convey the versatility of the beauty and grandeur of the sea, dynamics and mobility.
During his life, Aivazovsky created about 6 thousand paintings.
Social activities and patronage
Aivazovsky made a significant contribution to the development of Feodosia and the region:
He opened an art school, a library, a concert hall and an art gallery (now the I. K. Aivazovsky Feodosia Art Gallery);
He contributed to the construction of the Feodosia—Dzhankoy railway and the expansion of the local port.;
He built a water pipeline at his own expense, solving the problem of water shortage in the city.;
participated in archaeological excavations, supervised the excavation of more than 90 mounds.
In 1880, Aivazovsky became the first honorary citizen of Feodosia.
The artist was also involved in charity work: during the famine in the central provinces of Russia in 1891-1892, he organized a lottery and sent the proceeds to help the victims.
Aivazovsky was acquainted with many prominent figures of the era, including N. V. Gogol, A. S. Pushkin, M. I. Glinka and others.