Aivazovsky's signature in Russian, 1850Aivazovsky's signature in Armenian on oil painting from 1899
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Russian:Иван Константинович Айвазовский; 29 July [O.S. 17 July] 1817 – 2 May [O.S. 19 April] 1900) was a RussianRomantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters ofmarine art. Baptized asHovhannes Aivazian,[a] he was born toArmenian parents in theBlack Sea port ofFeodosia inCrimea and was mostly based there.
Following his education at theImperial Academy of Arts inSaint Petersburg, Aivazovsky traveled to Europe and lived briefly in Italy in the early 1840s. He then returned to Russia and was appointed the main painter of theRussian Navy. Aivazovsky had close ties with the military and political elite of theRussian Empire and often attended military maneuvers. He was sponsored by the state and was well-regarded during his lifetime. The saying "worthy of Aivazovsky's brush", popularized byAnton Chekhov, was used in Russia for describing something lovely. He remains highly popular in Russia in the 21st century.[5]
One of the most prominentRussian artists of his time, Aivazovsky was also popular outside the Russian Empire. He held numeroussolo exhibitions in Europe and the United States. During his almost 60-year career, he created around 6,000 paintings, making him one of the most prolific artists of his time.[6][7] The vast majority of his works areseascapes, but he often depicted battle scenes, Armenian themes, and portraiture. Most of Aivazovsky's works are kept in Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, and Turkish museums as well as private collections.
Ivan Aivazovsky was born on 29 July [O.S. 17 July] 1817 in the city ofFeodosia (Theodosia),Crimea, Russian Empire.[9] In the baptismal records of the localSt. SargisArmenian Apostolic Church, Aivazovsky was listed asHovhannes, son of Gevorg Aivazian (Armenian:Գէորգ Այվազեանի որդի Յօհաննեսն).[4] During his study at theImperial Academy of Arts, he was known in Russian as Ivan Gaivazovsky (Иванъ Гайвазовскій in the pre-1918 spelling).[10] He became known as Aivazovsky sincec. 1840, while in Italy.[11] He signed an 1844 letter with anItalianized rendition of his name: "Giovani Aivazovsky".[12]
His father, Konstantin, (c. 1765–1840),[13] was an Armenian merchant from thePolish region ofGalicia. His family had migrated to Europe fromWestern Armenia in the 18th century. After numerous familial conflicts, Konstantin left Galicia forMoldavia, later moving toBukovina, before settling in Feodosia in the early 1800s.[14] He was initially known as Gevorg Aivazian (Haivazian or Haivazi), but he changed his last name to Gaivazovsky by adding the Slavic suffix "-sky". Aivazovsky's mother, Ripsime, was aFeodosia Armenian. The couple had five children—three daughters and two sons.[14] Aivazovsky's elder brother,Gabriel, was a prominent historian and an Armenian Apostolic archbishop.[15]
The young Aivazovsky received parochial education at Feodosia's St. Sargis Armenian Church.[16] He was taught drawing by Jacob Koch, a local architect. Aivazovsky moved toSimferopol withTaurida Governor Alexander Kaznacheyev's family in 1830 and attended the city'sRussian gymnasium.[17] In 1833, Aivazovsky arrived in the Russian capital,Saint Petersburg, to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts inMaxim Vorobiev's landscape class. In 1835, he was awarded with a silver medal and appointed assistant to the French painterPhilippe Tanneur [fr].[18] In September 1836, Aivazovsky met Russia's national poetAlexander Pushkin during the latter's visit to the Academy.[19][20] In 1837, Aivazovsky joined thebattle-painting class ofAlexander Sauerweid and participated inBaltic Fleet exercises in theGulf of Finland.[21][better source needed] In October 1837, he graduated from the Imperial Academy of Arts with a gold medal, two years earlier than intended.[22][16][6] Aivazovsky returned to Feodosia in 1838 and spent two years in his native Crimea.[14][21][better source needed] In 1839, he took part in military exercises in the shores of Crimea, where he met Russian admiralsMikhail Lazarev,Pavel Nakhimov andVladimir Kornilov.[9][23]
In 1840, Aivazovsky was sent by the Imperial Academy of Arts to study in Europe.[22][21][better source needed] He first traveled toVenice viaBerlin andVienna and visitedSan Lazzaro degli Armeni, where an importantArmenian Catholic congregation was located and his brother Gabriel lived at the time. Aivazovsky studied Armenian manuscripts and became familiar with Armenian art.[24] He met Russian novelistNikolai Gogol in Venice. He then headed toFlorence,Amalfi andSorrento. In Florence, he met painterAlexander Ivanov.[21][better source needed] He remained inNaples andRome between 1840 and 1842. Aivazovsky was heavily influenced by Italian art and their museums became the "second academy" for him.[24] According to Rogachevsky the news of successful exhibitions in Italy reached Russia.[6]Pope Gregory XVI awarded him with a golden medal.[25] He then visited Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain. In an international exhibition atthe Louvre, he was the only representative from Russia.[24] In France, he received a gold medal from theAcadémie royale de peinture et de sculpture. He then returned to Naples via Marseille and again visited Britain, Portugal, Spain, and Malta in 1843. Aivazovsky was admired throughout Europe.[23] He returned to Russia via Paris and Amsterdam in 1844.[23]
Return to Russia and first marriage
Photograph of Aivazovsky with his first wife, Julia, and their four daughters
In 1845, Aivazovsky settled in his hometown of Feodosia, where he built a house and studio.[9][21][better source needed] He isolated himself from the outside world, keeping a small circle of friends and relatives.[24] Yet the solitude played a negative role in his art career. By the mid-nineteenth century, Russian art was moving fromRomanticism towards a distinct Russian style ofRealism, while Aivazovsky continued to paint Romantic seascapes and attracted heavy criticism.[24]
In 1848, Aivazovsky married Julia Graves, an English governess. They had four daughters: Elena (1849), Maria (1851), Alexandra (1852) and Joanne (1858). They separated in 1860 and divorced in 1877 with permission from theArmenian Church, since Graves was aLutheran.[21][better source needed][26]
Rise to prominence
The vast majority of his works depict the sea. Pictured is an 1898 painting titledAmong the Waves, Aivazovsky National Art Gallery, Feodosia
In 1851, traveling with the Russian emperorNicholas I, Aivazovsky sailed toSevastopol to participate in military maneuvers. His archaeological excavations near Feodosia lead to his election as a full member of theRussian Geographical Society in 1853. In that year, theCrimean War erupted between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, and he was evacuated toKharkiv. While safe, he returned to the besieged fortress of Sevastopol to paint battle scenes.[25] His work was exhibited in Sevastopol while it was under Ottoman siege.[25]
Between 1856 and 1857, Aivazovsky worked in Paris and became the first Russian[27] (and the first non-French) artist to receive theLegion of Honour. In 1857, Aivazovsky visited Constantinople and was awarded theOrder of the Medjidie. In the same year, he was elected an honorary member of the Moscow Art Society. He was awarded the GreekOrder of the Redeemer in 1859 and the RussianOrder of St. Vladimir in 1865.[25]
Aivazovsky opened an art studio in Feodosia in 1865 and was awarded a salary by the Imperial Academy of Arts the same year.[21][better source needed]
A photograph of Aivazovsky, 1870
Travels and accolades: 1860s–1880s
In the 1860s, the artist produced several paintings inspired by Greek nationalism and theItalian unification.[9][25] In 1868, he once again visited Constantinople and produced a series of works about the Greek resistance to the Turks, during theGreat Cretan Revolution.[21][better source needed] In 1868, Aivazovsky traveled in theCaucasus and visited theRussian part of Armenia for the first time. He painted several mountainous landscapes and in 1869 held an exhibition inTiflis.[9] Later in the year, he made a trip to Egypt and took part in the opening ceremony of theSuez Canal. He became the "first artist to paint the Suez Canal, thus marking an epoch-making event in the history of Europe, Africa and Asia."[25][28]
Aivazovsky was elected an honorary member ofStuttgart's Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1878. He made a trip to the Netherlands and France, staying briefly inFrankfurt until 1879. He then visitedMunich and traveled toGenoa and Venice "to collect material on the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus."[25]
Aivazovsky's painting of his second wife Anna Burnazian (1882)
Aivazovsky's second wife, Anna Burnazian, was a young Armenian widow 40 years his junior.[31] Aivazovsky said that by marrying her in 1882, he "became closer to [his] nation", referring to the Armenian people.[26] In 1882, Aivazovsky visited Moscow and St Petersburg and then toured the countryside of Russia by traveling along theVolga River in 1884.[21][better source needed][25]
In 1885, he was promoted to the rank ofPrivy Councilor. The next year, the 50th anniversary of his creative labors, was celebrated with an exhibition in St Petersburg, and an honorary membership in the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.[18][25]
In 1887, as part of a jubilee celebration of his career, Aivazovsky hosted a dinner for 150 friends. Each guest received a miniature painting by Aivazovsky set into a studio photograph of the artist at work.[32]
After meeting Aivazovsky in person,Anton Chekhov wrote a letter to his wife on 22 July 1888 describing him as follows:[33][34]
Aivazovsky himself is a hale and hearty old man of about seventy-five, looking like an insignificant Armenian and a bishop; he is full of a sense of his own importance, has soft hands and shakes your hand like a general. He's not very bright, but he is a complex personality, worthy of a further study. In him alone there are combined a general, a bishop, an artist, an Armenian, an naive old peasant, and an Othello.
The house in Feodosia, where Aivazovsky lived between 1845 and 1892. It is now anart gallery.
After traveling to Paris with his wife, in October 1892 he made a trip to the United States, visitingNiagara Falls in New York and Washington D.C.[25][35][36] During this trip, he performed an act of diplomacy by donating to theCorcoran Museum two of his paintings, which he had painted in "Russia, Crimea, Feodosia",Relief Ship (Russian:Корабль помощи) andFood Distribution (Russian:Раздача продовольствия) which commemorated the arrival of American aid to Russia during theTsar's famine of 1891-1892 but the Tsar barred these paintings in Russia because of theiranti-monarchist unpatriotic themes.[35][36][37] In 1896, at 79, Aivazovsky was promoted to the rank of full privy councillor.[21][better source needed]
Aivazovsky was deeply affected by theHamidian massacres that took place in the Armenian-inhabited areas of the Ottoman Empire between 1894 and 1896. He painted a number of works on the subject such asThe Expulsion of the Turkish Ship, andThe Armenian Massacres at Trebizond (1895). He threw the medals given to him by the Ottoman Sultan into the sea and told the Turkish consul in Feodosia: "Tell your bloodthirsty master that I've thrown away all the medals given to me, here are their ribbons, send it to him and if he wants, he can throw them into the seas painted by me."[38] He created several other paintings capturing the events, such asLonely Ship andNight. Tragedy in the Sea of Marmara (1897).[39][40]
Tomb of Aivazovsky
He spent his final years in Feodosia. In the 1890s, thanks to his efforts a commercial port (ru) was established in Feodosia and linked to the railway network of the Russian Empire.[31][41] The railway station, opened in 1892, is now calledAyvazovskaya [ru] and is one of the two stations within the city of Feodosia. Aivazovsky also supplied Feodosia with drinking water.[42][43]
Death
Aivazovsky died on 19 April (2 May in New Style) 1900 in Feodosia.[25] In accordance with his wishes, he was buried at the courtyard of St. Sargis Armenian Church.[44] A white marblesarcophagus was made by Italian sculptor L. Biogiolli in 1901.[45] A quote fromMovses Khorenatsi'sHistory of Armenia inClassical Armenian is engraved on his tombstone:Mahkanatsu tsneal anmah ziurn yishatak yetogh (Մահկանացու ծնեալ անմահ զիւրն յիշատակ եթող),[46] which translates: "He was born a mortal, left an immortal legacy"[44] or "Born as a mortal, left the immortal memory of himself".[47] The inscription beneath reads: "Professor Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky 1817–1900" (Профессоръ Иванъ Константиновичъ АЙВАЗОВСКIЙ 1817–1900).
After his death, his wife Anna led a generally secluded life, living in several rooms she had retained after nationalization, until 1941.[48] She died on 25 July 1944 and was buried next to Aivazovsky.[31] Two of his daughters (Maria and Alexandra) left Russia following the Revolution of 1917, while the other two died shortly thereafter: Yelena in 1918 and Zhanna in 1922.[48]
During his 60-year career, Aivazovsky produced around 6,000 paintings[18][25][52] of, what one online art magazine describes, "very different value ... there are masterpieces and there are very timid works".[53] However, according to one count as many as 20,000 paintings are attributed to him.[54] The vast majority of Aivazovsky's works depict the sea.[55] He rarely drew dry-landscapes and created only a handful of portraits.[53] According toRosa Newmarch Aivazovsky "never painted his pictures from nature, always from memory, and far away from the seaboard."[56] Rogachevsky wrote that "His artistic memory was legendary. He was able to reproduce what he had seen only for a very short time, without even drawing preliminary sketches."[25] Bolton praised "his ability to convey the effect of moving water and of reflected sun and moonlight."[22]
Exhibitions
He held 55 solo exhibitions (an unprecedented number)[57] over the course of his career. Among the most notable were held in Rome, Naples and Venice (1841–42), Paris (1843, 1890), Amsterdam (1844), Moscow (1848, 1851, 1886), Sevastopol (1854), Tiflis (1868), Florence (1874), St. Petersburg (1875, 1877, 1886, 1891), Frankfurt (1879), Stuttgart (1879), London (1881), Berlin (1885, 1890), Warsaw (1885), Constantinople (1888), New York (1893), Chicago (1893), San Francisco (1893).[21][better source needed]
He also "contributed to the exhibitions of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1836–1900),Paris Salon (1843, 1879), Society of Exhibitions of Works of Art (1876–83), Moscow Society of Lovers of the Arts (1880), Pan-Russian Exhibitions in Moscow (1882) and Nizhny Novgorod (1896), World Exhibitions in Paris (1855,1867,1878),London (1863), Munich (1879) andChicago (1893) and the international exhibitions inPhiladelphia (1876), Munich (1879) andBerlin (1896)."[21][better source needed]
Souren Melikian described his style as "highlyacademic."[58] A primarily Romantic painter, Aivazovsky used some Realistic elements.[59] Leek argued that Aivazovsky remained faithful toRomanticism throughout his life, "even though he oriented his work toward the Realist genre."[6] His early works are influenced by his Academy of Arts teachers Maxim Vorobiev andSylvester Shchedrin.[18] Classic painters likeSalvator Rosa,Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael andClaude Lorrain contributed to Aivazovsky's individual process and style.[9]Karl Bryullov, best known for hisThe Last Day of Pompeii, "played an important part in stimulating Aivazovsky's own creative development," according to Bolton.[22][18] Aivazovsky's best paintings in the 1840s–1850s used a variety of colors and were both epic and romantic in theme.[9] Newmarch suggested that by the mid-19th century the romantic features in Aivazovsky's work became "increasingly pronounced."[53] She, like most scholars, considered hisNinth Wave his best piece of art and argued that it "seems to mark the transition between fantastic color of his earlier works, and the more truthful vision of the later years."[60] By the 1870s, his paintings were dominated by delicate colors; and in the last two decades of his life, Aivazovsky created a series of silver-toned seascapes.[9]
The distinct transition in Russian art from Romanticism to Realism in the mid-nineteenth century left Aivazovsky, who would always retain a Romantic style, open to criticism. Proposed reasons for his unwillingness or inability to change began with his location; Feodosia was a remote town in the huge Russian empire, far from Moscow and Saint Petersburg. His mindset and worldview were similarly considered old-fashioned and did not correspond to the developments in Russian art and culture.[24]Vladimir Stasov only accepted his early works, whileAlexandre Benois wrote in hisThe History of Russian Painting in the 19th Century that despite being Vorobiev's student, Aivazovsky stood apart from the general development of the Russian landscape school.[24]
Aivazovsky's later work contained dramatic scenes and was usually done on a larger scale. He depicted "the romantic struggle between man and the elements in the form of the sea (The Rainbow, 1873), and so-called "blue marines" (The Bay of Naples in Early Morning, 1897,Disaster, 1898) and urban landscapes (Moonlit Night on the Bosphorus, 1894)."[18]
Aivazovsky's early works incorporated Armenian themes. The artist's longstanding wish to visit his ancestral homeland was fulfilled in 1868. During his visit to Russian (Eastern) Armenia (roughly corresponding to the modernArmenia, as opposed toWestern Armenia under Ottoman rule), Aivazovsky created paintings ofMount Ararat, theArarat plain, andLake Sevan. Although Mt. Ararat has been depicted in paintings of many non-native artists (mostly European travelers), Aivazovsky became the first Armenian artist to illustrate the two-peaked biblical mountain.[61][24]
He resumed the creation of Armenian-related paintings in the 1880s:Valley of Mount Ararat (1882),Ararat (1887),Descent of Noah from Ararat (1889).[61]Valley of Mount Ararat contains his signature in Armenian: "Aivazian" (Այվազեան).[61][26] In a panorama of Venice expressed byByron's Visit to the Mekhitarists on St Lazarus Island in Venice (1898); the foreground of the picture contains members of the Armenian Congregation ofSan Lazzaro degli Armeni giving an enthusiastic welcome toLord Byron.[62] His other themed works from this period include rare portraits of notable Armenians, such as his brother Archbishop Gabriel Aivazovsky (1882), CountMikhail Loris-Melikov (1888), CatholicosMkrtich Khrimian (1895),Nakhichevan-on-Don Mayor Аrutyun Khalabyan and others.[61][24]The Baptism of Armenians andOath Before the Battle of Avarayr (both 1892) depict the two memorable events of ancient Armenia: theChristianization via baptism of KingTiridates III byGregory the Illuminator (early 4th century) and theBattle of Avarayr of 451, respectively.[24]
The Museum of Antiquities founded by Aivazovsky in Feodosia
Aivazovsky took an interest inarchaeology since the 1850s. He employed farmers to conduct archaeological excavations in the Feodosia area. In 1853 some 22 burial mounds were excavated on Mount Tepe-Oba, which mostly contained brokenamphorae and bones, but also golden necklaces, earrings, a female head, a chain with a sphinx, a sphinx with woman's head, the head of an ox, slabs; silver bracelets; clay statuettes, medallions, various vessels, a sarcophagus; silver and bronze coins. The site has been dated to the 5th to 3rd centuries BC when there was an ancient Greek settlement of Theodosia. The best finds were sent by Aivazovsky to theImperial Hermitage in Petersburg.[65] In 1871 he founded the construction of a new Museum of Antiquities onMount Mitridat modeled after a typicalAncient Greek temple of theDoric order. It was destroyed during World War II.[65]
Aivazovsky's estates
Aivazovsky's Shakh-Mamai estate in the 1890s
Aivazovsky was a major landowner with numerous estates in eastern Crimea, mostly in the vicinity of Feodosia. These estates delivered him significant income; more than the sale of his paintings. His earliest major estate, bestowed by theEmperor in 1848 along with a personal noble title, was the one at Shakh-Mamai (now calledAyvazovskoye [ru]). Located some 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Feodosia, it initially covered an area of 2,500diasiatins (around 2,725 hectares (6,730 acres)). The estate had an Eastern-style house, and one of its most prominent visitors,Anton Chekhov, wrote that "It is an extravagant, fairy-tale estate of the kind you must probably find in Persia." By the end of his life, the estate had grown to include some 6,000 diasiatins of land, a dairy farm, and a steam-powered mill.[48]
The second major estate, located in Subash (nowZolotoy Klyuch), contained some 2,500 diasiatins of land. The site contained several natural springs, which Aivazovsky acquired in 1852 from the Lansky family. The latter also sold Aivazovsky 2,362 diasiatins of land. Later, Aivazovsky supplied Feodosia with water from Subash. In both estates, vegetables were grown. He had small estates in Romash-Eli (now Romanovka), with 338 diasiatins of land covered with orchards, and the Sudak Valley, with 12 diasiatins of vineyard, along with adacha (summer house).[48]
In Feodosia, Aivazovsky possessed a house and a vineyard. He also owned houses elsewhere in Crimea, such asStary Krym andYalta. The estates inherited by his heirs were lost in the early Soviet period when they were nationalized.[48]
Influence
Aivazovsky was the most influential seascape painter in nineteenth-century Russian art.[18] According to theRussian Museum, "he was the first and for a long time the only representative of seascape painting" and "all other artists who painted seascapes were either his own students or influenced by him."[57]
Arkhip Kuindzhi (1842–1910) is sometimes cited as having been influenced by Aivazovsky.[66] In 1855, at age 13–14, Kuindzhi visited Feodosia to study with Aivazovsky, however, he was engaged merely to mix paints[67] and instead studied with Adolf Fessler, Aivazovsky's student.[68] A 1903 encyclopedic article stated: "Although Kuindzhi cannot be called a student of Aivazovsky, the latter had without doubt some influence on him in the first period of his activity; from whom he borrowed much in the manner of painting."[69] English art historianJohn E. Bowlt wrote that "the elemental sense of light and form associated with Aivazovsky's sunsets, storms, and surging oceans permanently influenced the young Kuindzhi."[67]
Vartan Makhokhian, anTrabzon-born Armenian painter, who was later based in France, met Aivazovsky in Crimea in 1894. The latter had a major influence on his work.[70] Aivazovsky also influenced Russian paintersLev Lagorio,Mikhail Latri [ru], andAleksey Ganzen [ru] (the latter two were his grandsons).[27]
Recognition
Aivazovsky was one of the few Russian artists to achieve wide recognition during his lifetime,[b] and gain recognition outside Russia.[c] In 1898,Munsey's Magazine wrote that Aivazovsky is "better known to the world at large than any other artist of his nationality, with the exception of the sensationalVerestchagin".[74] However, Aivazovsky has not been incorporated into the mainstream Western history of art,[75] and he remains relatively unknown in the West.[41] Nevertheless, he is considered one of the most prominent marine artists of the 19th century,[78] and, overall, one of the finest masters of seascape.[83]
Six Aivazovsky paintings displayed at the StateRussian Museum in Saint Petersburg
A street inMoscow [ru] was named after Aivazovsky in 1978.[91] His first Aivazovsky statue in Russia was erected in 2007 inKronstadt, near Saint Petersburg.[92] TheSimferopol International Airport in Crimea, afterRussian annexation, was voted to be named after Aivazovsky in 2018.[93] It was officially renamed according to a decree signed by PresidentVladimir Putin on 31 May 2019, and ceremonially renamed onRussia Day (12 June).[94][95] A bust of Aivazovsky was erected in front of the airport in 2020.[96]
In a 2017VTsIOM poll, Aivazovsky ranked first as the most favorite artist of Russians, with 27% of respondents naming him as their favorite, ahead ofIvan Shishkin (26%) andIlya Repin (16%). Overall, 93% of respondents said they were familiar with his name (26% knew him well, 67% have heard his name) and 63% of those who know him said they liked his works, including 80% of those 60 or older and 35% of 18 to 24 year olds.[97][5][98]
Armenia
The statue of Aivazovsky in centralYerevan, Armenia, was erected in 2003.
In Armenia, Aivazovsky has been considered an Armenian painter,[24] and exclusively referred to by his Armenian name, Hovhannes.[99][e] He has been described as the "most remarkable" Armenian painter of the 19th century and the first-ever Armenian marine painter.[7][102] He signed some of his paintings and letters inArmenian.[103][f]
He was born outside Armenia, and like his contemporary Armenian painters,[g] Aivazovsky drew primary influences from European and Russian schools of art. According to Sureniants, he sought to create a union which would have brought together all Armenian artists around the world.[24] The prominent Armenian poetHovhannes Tumanyan wrote a short poem titled "In Front of an Aiazovsky painting" in 1893, inspired by a seascape.[104] It was translated into English in 1917 byAlice Stone Blackwell.[105]
Aivazovsky's paintings were popular in 19th century Ottoman court.[113] According toHürriyet Daily News, 30 paintings of Aivazovsky are on display in Turkish museums as of 2014.[114] According toBülent Özükan [tr], an organizer of an Aivazovsky exhibition in Istanbul, there are 60 Aivazovsky paintings in Turkey, including 41 in Turkish public institutions: 21 in former Ottoman palaces, 10 in various marine and military museums, 10 at the presidential residence, and 10 in private collections in Istanbul.[115] In 2007, whenAbdullah Gül became president of Turkey, he brought paintings by Aivazovsky up from the basement to hang in his office during redecoration of the presidential palace, theÇankaya Mansion in Ankara.[116] Pictures of official meetings ofRecep Tayyip Erdoğan at the newPresidential Complex in Ankara show that the walls of the rooms at the presidential residence are decorated with Aivazovsky's artwork.[115][117]
Ukraine
In Ukraine, Aivazovsky is sometimes considered a Ukrainian painter.[h] He painted numerous Ukrainian landscapes, including of theDnieper, theUkrainian steppe,Odesa.[120] An alley inKyiv (Провулок Айвазовського) was named after him in 1939 and astatue of Aivazovsky and his brother Gabriel was erected in Simferopol, Crimea in 1999.[121]
Works by Aivazovsky, among others, are presumed to have been destroyed in an airstrike attack on theKuindzhi Art Museum inMariupol during theRussian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.[122] According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces looted a number of original works by Aivazovsky fromMariupol museums to Russian-controlledDonetsk.[123] Paintings by Aivazovsky were also taken fromKherson before Russian forces were forced out of the city in late 2022. The paintingThe Storm Subsides from the 1870s was among works taken from theKherson Art Museum to theCentral Taurida Museum [ru] in Russian-controlledSimferopol, Crimea.[124]
Dispute over identity
An 1893 photograph of Aivazovsky with an inset oil painting.[125]
Tatyana Gaiduk, director of theAivazovsky National Art Gallery in Feodosia, argued that Aivazovsky was an Armenian and the "bearer of Armenian and Russian culture. Armenian traditions reigned in the house, in everyday life, but for everyone Aivazovsky is a representative of the largeRussian world. All over the world he became known as a Russian artist, one of those who glorified Russian art. He was very patriotic, in his paintings he sang all the outstanding victories of the Russian navy."[142] She also noted that the Ukrainian poetTaras Shevchenko, a classmate of Aivazovsky at the Peteresburg Academy of Arts, did not consider him a compatriot.[142]Vartan Matiossian called it "misplaced decolonization efforts" and argued for listing Aivazovsky as Armenian first.[145] In early March 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art changed Aivazovsky's label to "Armenian, born Russian Empire [now Ukraine]."[146][147]
Legacy
Aivazovsky's monument in front of his house (now an art gallery) in FeodosiaAivazovsky on a 20,000 Armenian dram banknote[112]
Aivazovsky's house in Feodosia, where he had founded an art museum in 1880, is open to this day as theAivazovsky National Art Gallery. It remains a central attraction in the city[41] and holds the world's largest collections (417) of Aivazovsky paintings.[31] A statue of the artist, byIlya Ginzburg, was erected in front of the museum in 1930.[148]
In 2016 and 2017 the 200th anniversary of Aivazovsky was celebrated with major exhibitions in Russia, Ukraine, and Armenia. An exhibition featuring 120 paintings and 55 etchings of Aivazovsky was held at theTretyakov Gallery onKrymsky Val in Moscow from 29 July to 20 November 2016 dedicated to his 200th anniversary of birth.[154][155] In the first 2 weeks, the exhibition had around 55,000 visitors, a record number.[156] 38 of the works were moved from theAivazovsky National Art Gallery in Feodosia, which wasannexed by Russia in 2014, prompting Ukraine to call for an international boycott of the Tretyakov Gallery.[157] Exhibitions were also held at theNational Art Museum of Ukraine in Kiev,[158] and theNational Gallery of Armenia in Yerevan.[159]
Auctions
Aivazovsky's paintings began appearing in auctions (mostly in London) in the early 2000s. Many of his works are being bought byRussian oligarchs.[160] His works have risen steadily in auction value.[161] In 2004, hisSaint Isaac's Cathedral On A Frosty Day, a rare cityscape, sold for around £1 million ($2.1 million).[162][163] In 2006The Varangians on theDnieper sold for $3.2 million atSotheby's.[164] In 2007 his paintingAmerican Shipping off the Rock of Gibraltar auctioned at £2.71 million, "more than four times its top estimate".[165] In April 2012, his 1856 workView of Constantinople and the Bosphorus was sold atSotheby's for a record $5.2 million (£3.2 million),[166] a tenfold increase since it was last at an auction in 1995.[167] In 2020 his 1878 paintingThe Bay of Naples sold for $2.8 million, a record for a painting at an online-only auction.[168]
Stolen paintings
In January 2011 a number of paintings, including those of Aivazovsky, were stolen from the country house of Aleksandr Tarantsev, an owner of a chain of jewelry stores in Russia, outside Moscow.[169][170] In 2017 it was reported that a fake of one of the paintings stolen from Tarantsev's house was presented to Armenian presidentSerzh Sargsyan by the Pyunik foundation.[171][172]
In February 2011 an 1875 Aivazovsky paintingA Storm on Rocky Shores was discovered at a Moscow auction after having been stolen from Armenia in 1990.[173] It was returned to Armenia'sNational Gallery by the Armenian-born RussianSenatorOganes Oganyan [ru] (Hovhannes Ohanyan), its last owner.[107][174]
In June 2015Sotheby's withdrew from auction an 1870 Aivazovsky paintingEvening in Cairo, which was estimated at £1.5–2 million ($2–$3 million), after theRussian Interior Ministry claimed that it was stolen in 1997 from a private collection in Moscow.[175][176] In 2017View on Revel (1845), stolen from theDmitrov Kremlin Museum [ru] in 1976, was found atKoller auction house inZürich, Switzerland.[177]
^HisArmenian name was given as Յօհաննես Այվազեան,Yohannes Aivazian in baptismal records,[4] but the standard spelling would beHovhannes Aivazian (Յովհաննէս Այվազեան inclassical spelling and Հովհաննես Այվազյան inreformed spelling). He is now usually called Հովհաննես Այվազովսկի,Hovhannes Ayvazovski, not Aivazian.
^"Aivazovsky is one of the few Russian masters who received fame and recognition during his lifetime"[18] "Indeed, those who reach such fame in their lifetime are rare"[6] "He [Aivazovsky] was famous during his lifetime"[71]
^Rosa Newmarch in 1917: "one of the few Russian artists whose talent was generally recognized abroad."[72] In 1892The New York Times described him as a "celebrated Russian marine painter".[73]
^In response to Marina Timofeevna's (the old nurse) query about the fight between Ivan Voynitsky ("Uncle Vanya") and Aleksandr Serebryakov, Ilya Telegin says that it was "A sight worthy of Aivazovsky's brush." (Сюжет, достойный кисти Айвазовского;Syuzhet, dostoyniy kisti Ayvazovskovo).[86] Alternatively translated as "scene",[87] "subject",[88][89] or "picture".[90]
^Virtually all Armenian, some Russian[100] and English[7] sources, refer to him by that name: Hovhannes Ayvazovski (Armenian:Հովհաննես Այվազովսկի;Russian:Ован(н)ес Айвазовский,Ovan(n)es Aivazovsky)[8][101]
^For instance, his signatures in both Armenian (Այվազեան,Ayvazean) and Russian (Айвазовскій,Ayvazovskiy) appear onValley of Mount Ararat (1882).[11]
^He was included in a 2001 book titled100 Greatest Ukrainians.[118] In a 2012 poll in Ukraine, Aivazovsky placed 67 in the list of greatest Ukrainians of all time, receiving the same points asOlha Kobylianska,Ani Lorak,Marko Vovchok,Yevhen Konovalets (they were named by 0.3% of respondents as one of the three greatest Ukrainians).[119]
^Petrov, Pyotr[in Russian] (1887).Указатель к Сборнику матеріалов для исторіи Императорской С.-Петербургской Академіи художеств за сто лѣт ея существованія [Index to the collection of materials for the history of the Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Arts for 100 years of its existence] (in Russian). St. Petersburg:M. M. Stasulevich. p. 51.
^abKarlinsky, Simon (1999).Anton Chekhov's Life and Thought: Selected Letters and Commentary. Heim, Michael Henry; Karlinsky, Simon (2nd ed.). Evanston, Illinois:Northwestern University Press. pp. 310–311.ISBN0-8101-1460-7.
^abHarutiunian 1965, pp. 90–91: "Բռնակալության դեմ ի նշան բողոքի, նա բոլոր շքանշանները նետում է ծովը և ապա երիտասարդի աշխուժությամբ դնում է թուրքական հյուպատոսի մոտ ու զայրացած ասում. «Արյունակզակ տիրոջդ ինձի տված պատվանշանները ծովր նետեցի, ահավասիկ անոնց ժապավենները, իրեն ղրկել եթե կուզե թող ինքն ալ իմ պատկերներս ծովը նետե, բայց հոդս չէ, վասն զի անոնց փոխարժեքը ստացուած եմ»։ Ու կը մեկնի։
^"Моря пламенный поэт. Иван Айвазовский" (in Russian).Russia-K. 2007. Archived fromthe original on 4 March 2016.Благодаря ему в Феодосии был создан водопровод, построены морской торговый порт, железная дорога, возведено здание археологического музея и многое другое.
^abc"Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky".Art Renewal Center. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2021.One of the greatest seascape painters of his time, Aivazovsky conveyed the movement of the waves, the transparent water, the dialogue between sea and sky with virtuoso skill and tangible verisimilitude.
^Minasyan, Artavazd M.; Gevorkyan, Aleksadr V. (2008).How Did I Survive?. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 56.ISBN978-1-84718-601-0.OCLC318443997.Aivazovsky, Ivan Konstantionvich (real name: Hovannes Gevorgovich Aivazyan) (1817–1900) – grand Russian artist-painter of seascapes, ethnic Armenian. Aside from his artwork, I.A. was also known for his valuable contributions to the developments of the Russian and Armenian cultures of the 19th century. He lived and worked in Feodosia, Crimea. He was buried there according to his will. A sign on his tombstone, written in ancient Armenian, has a quote from the 5th century "History of Armenia" by Moses Khorenatsi says: "Born as a mortal, left the immortal memory of himself."
^Amirzyanova, Guzel (28 July 2013).Семь знаменитых картин Айвазовского.Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Archived fromthe original on 19 March 2014.Бесспорно, популярнейшей картиной мариниста является «Девятый вал» (1850 г.), сейчас это полотно хранится в Русском музее. Пожалуй, в нем сильнее всего передана романтическая натура художника.
^Nechayev, Sergey (25 July 2015).""Стахановец" Айвазовский".Sovershenno sekretno (in Russian). Vol. 26, no. 355. Archived fromthe original on 18 September 2020.Считается, что кисти Айвазовского принадлежит более 6000 полотен. А приписывают ему и того больше – около 20 000 картин.
^Manin, Vitaly[in Russian] (2000).Архип Куинджи (in Russian). Moskva: Belyĭ gorod. p. 6.ISBN978-5-7793-0219-7.в Феодосию к знаменитому Айвазовскому. Куинджи прибыл в тихую Феодосию, по-видимому, летом 1855 года. ... Устройством Куинджи занялся Адольф Фесслер, ученик и копиист Айвазовского. Жил Архип во дворе под навесом в ...
^"Куинджи Архип Иванович".Russian Biographical Dictionary (in Russian). Saint Petersburg:Imperial Russian Historical Society. 1903.Хотя Куинджи и нельзя назвать учеником Айвазовского, но последний имел на него, несомненно, некоторое влияние в первый период его деятельности; от него он заимствовал многое в манере писать, в выборе тем, в любви к широким пространствам.online viewArchived 27 January 2016 at theWayback Machine
^"The Russian Art Sale".Christie's. 18 November 2010. Archived fromthe original on 15 June 2018.Lauded by many as the greatest maritime artist of his time, Aivazovsky's genius lay above all in his capacity for capturing light.
^Chekhonin, O.; Chekhonina, Svetlana; Matafonov, Vadim Stepanovich; Ivashevskaya, Galina (2003).Three centuries of Russian painting (2nd ed.). St. Petersburg: Kitezh Art Publishers.ISBN978-5-86263-019-0.The traditions of the genre were brilliantly developed by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900), the most popular artist of the 19th century.
^Lang, David Marshall (1970).Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. London:Allen & Unwin. p. 245.Aivazovsky is one of the world's most thrilling masters of the marine picture...
^Telfer, J. Buchan (1876).The Crimea and Transcaucasia, being the narrative of a journey in the Kouban, in Gouria, Georgia, Armenia, Ossety, Imeritia, Swannety, and Mingrelia, and in the Tauric Range. Volume I. London: Henry S. King & Co. p. 228....on its walls a series of portraits of kinds and warriors, a sea-piece by the marine painter Aivazoffsky...
^"Demonstration Areas".president.am. Office to the President of the Republic of Armenia.Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved18 October 2015.
^Marchand, Laure; Perrier, Guillaume (2015).Turkey and the Armenian Ghost: On the Trail of the Genocide. McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 129.ISBN978-0-7735-4549-6.
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