29.07.1817 – 05.05.1900

July 29, 1817 the famous Russian marine painter of Armenian origin Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Gayvazyan) was born. Despite the plight of the artist’s family – his father was ruined and could not give a decent education to his children, the boy’s talent was noticed – he was able to finish the gymnasium and in 1833 was admitted to public account in the Imperial Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg. Appearing at the academic exhibition in 1835, Aivazovsky’s first painting “Etude air over the sea” immediately received laudatory reviews of criticism. In 1837, the painter for his three works with marine species is awarded a large gold medal.

In 1840 Aivazovsky, among other boarders of the Academy of Arts, went to Rome to continue his education and improvement in landscape painting. He studies the painting of old masters, he works hard. In 1844, after four years of staying abroad, Aivazovsky returned to his homeland as a recognized master. Upon his return to Russia, he was promoted to the rank of academician of the Petersburg Academy of Arts and, after that, was listed by the tsar’s decree to the Main Naval Staff with the title of painter and the right to wear a naval uniform. At this time, the artist barely turned 27 years old, but behind him was already a brilliant school of painting, a huge creative success, the world glory of the seascape. Highly praised about the works of Aivazovsky, the famous English landscape painter William Turner.

Being a painter of the Main Naval Staff, Aivazovsky takes part in a number of military operations, creates paintings with battle scenes, such as the work of the Chesma Battle, written in 1848.

One of the works of Aivazovsky, presented in the collection of the Voronezh Regional Art Museum. I. Kramskoy, “The Sea View” of 1867 admires the artistry and amazing living color. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, a turquoise wave, transparent, crowned with light foam, falls to the coastal sand and rolls away, sparkling in the sun’s rays.

But it is worth noting that Ivan Aivazovsky is not only a virtuoso brush, whose paintings are the pride of the national school of painting, but also a philanthropist. In his native Feodosia, he opened an art school, a gallery, an archaeological museum was built.