Ivan Aivazovsky: biography. Ivan Aivazovsky - the most expensive painting, secret paints and other curious facts What era did Aivazovsky live in

In the middle of the summer of 1817, namely on July 17, in the provincial town of Feodosia, which is located in the Crimea, a boy was born into the family of a local poor merchant. He turned out to be the fifth child in a family where neither wealth nor education of family members foreshadowed the birth of a genius. However, years will pass, and it is he who will be destined to glorify his name, city and homeland with incomparable paintings worthy of respect. civic position and humanity. All over the world, this person is called by his last name - Aivazovsky, and his biography will be briefly outlined in this article.

The parents of the future artist were native Armenians by nationality. After fleeing from Turkish oppression from their historical homeland, they lived for some time with relatives in Galicia. Refugees came to Feodosia rather by accident. However, time passed, and this quiet town turned out to be the place on earth where they decided to settle forever.

I. K. Aivazovsky - self-portrait

This is interesting! The region of Galicia in the 19th century was the territory of Eastern Poland with the capital in the city of Galich. Later, Lvov became the capital of the region. Currently, this is the territory of Western Ukraine (Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and partly Ternopil regions).

The flight from the genocide and family troubles in the Ayvazyan family largely influenced the passport data of the future genius, namely:

• the name Gevork, given at birth to the father, in the Russian version sounds like Konstantin;
• the family name was changed for conspiracy into the Polish manner;
• the name of the son Hovhannes in Russian is consonant with the name Ivan.

Thus, a boy born like Hovhannes Ayvazyan took his first steps in life like Ivan Konstantinovich Gaivazovsky. Years will pass and already in adulthood, the genius artist will once again change his last name to Aivazovsky.

How it all began

In Feodosia, the Aivazyan house was located on the very outskirts, from where, thanks to the elevation, a beautiful view of the Black Sea opened up. Every day it appeared to the eyes of young Vanya in different states:

• peaceful surface;
• playful swell;
• severe storm.

In addition, "the bluest in the world" did not always correspond to the epithet assigned to it. Depending on the sky, it played with colors from azure to almost black. All this did not remain indifferent to the young soul, but degenerated into a desire to capture what they saw.

It would be naive to assume that the art of drawing in the young Vanya appeared from scratch. In communication with the architect Theodosius Koch, the foundation was laid for the birth of the artist's talent. At the same time, the lessons of drawing and construction drawing, donated by the architect, became, in fact, a ticket to the world of fine arts and beyond.

The house where Aivazovsky was born

At the age of thirteen, Vanya Gaivazovsky, thanks to the recommendations of the mayor of Feodosia, enters the provincial gymnasium of Simferopol. After graduating in 1833, he went to the capital of the Russian state, to St. Petersburg, where he was waiting for exams and successful admission to the Imperial Academy of Arts. It is here that the young Aivazovsky, through his sketches, sketches and full-fledged paintings, gains his first fame. A special role here was played by the master of painting of those times, Maxim Vorobyov, in whose class the young artist practiced until 1839.

At this time, the debut of the exhibition activity of the artist Ivan Aivazovsky also falls. He was more than successful. So in 1835, the exposition of the young marine painter Aivazovsky from five canvases made a splash in the capital's beau monde. At the same time, the painting “A Study of the Air over the Sea” was awarded an honorary silver medal.

Study of air over the sea

In 1837, a new success came to Aivazovsky. His canvas "Calm" is awarded a large gold medal. Since then, the works of the Crimean artist have been exhibited at the Imperial Academy of Arts on an almost permanent basis.

A year later, the artist visits his native Feodosia and Sevastopol on a creative business trip. On a trip to the Crimea, the artist experiments, gets personally acquainted with the leading military leaders of the Black Sea Fleet, and, of course, he draws a lot. Theodosia inspires him.

In 1840, by decision of the Board of Trustees of the Academy, Aivazovsky was sent for an internship in Italy. It was here that the next years of his life Ivan Konstantinovich comprehended the mastery of the luminaries of the fine arts of Europe. Exhibitions of the artist were not long in coming. The capitals of the Old World in their galleries, one after another, place the paintings of a young Russian artist. The result is the same everywhere - success and applause for the extraordinary, unique and inimitable talent of Aivazovsky. The result of European practice is:

• Gold medal of the Paris Academy of Arts;
• The title of academician is already in his homeland.

Upon returning to Russia, Aivazovsky was accepted into the staff of the General Headquarters of the Naval Forces. Here he begins to work on a series of commissioned paintings for the needs of this department. Sketches, landscapes, scenes of naval battles came out from under the artist's brush with amazing speed. Creativity Aivazovsky in these years, in fact, held the test of endurance. As a result, a whole series of paintings about the Baltic Sea is born. Kronstadt, Revel, Krasnaya Gorka, St. Petersburg, as well as paintings of maritime themes and battles associated with these cities appear on the canvases.

And yet, the soul of Aivazovsky always asked to go south - closer to his native Crimea. He submits a report with a request to return to Feodosia in order to complete the work begun earlier. This is how canvases on the theme of the Black Sea appear. Particularly dear to the artist were paintings from a series dedicated to Sevastopol:

• Sevastopol raid;
• Sinop;
• Entrance to the Sevastopol Bay;
• Sinop battle.

During the period of creativity after serving at the headquarters of the naval forces, Aivazovsky's talent flourished. His works decorated the offices and houses of the most senior officials, as well as the central halls of institutions and departments. During these same years, one of the most famous masterpieces the great Russian marine painter - "Chesme battle" (1848). Two years later, the Ninth Wave was added to their list. By the way, the realism of the battle scenes in the paintings of Aivazovsky has a good reason. During the Russo-Turkish War, he repeatedly had to go to sea as part of the teams of the operating ships of the Russian fleet.

Ninth Wave

Aivazovsky's personal life

The year 1848 is significant for the artist not only for the birth of masterpieces. This year, Aivazovsky marries Yulia Grefs, the daughter of a St. Petersburg doctor English origin. The marriage seemed happy, but not in every way. On the one hand, Ivan Konstantinovich called his wife the main inspirer and muse of his work. But on the other hand, the “stumbling block” of the spouses turned out to be different views on the place of residence. The wife dreamed of the capital and secular society. The soul of the artist was looking for peace, solitude and themes for his paintings. Aivazovsky could not imagine himself without Feodosia, the Crimea and the Black Sea.

In 1858, the couple broke up and did not see each other for almost 20 years. Only in 1877 was the Aivazyan couple officially divorced.

Aivazovsky decided on a second marriage only five years after the completion of the divorce proceedings. His chosen one was the widow of a well-known merchant in Feodosia, Anna Sarkizova (nee Burnazyan). Despite the big difference in age (Anna was 40 years younger than Ivan Konstantinovich), their union could be called happy, and the feelings were true. The family idyll lasted for almost 18 years, until it was interrupted by the death of the artist.

Aivazovsky's women

This is interesting! After the death of her husband, the heartbroken widow made a vow not to leave the walls of the house in which he died. Anna kept her oath, and for 25 years she never left the wing adjoining the art gallery of Feodosia.

Over the years, the First World War. Here Anna also met the arrival of Soviet power. Survived the widow and the German occupation during the Great patriotic war. Anna Aivazovskaya-Burnazyan died in 1944. She was buried in Feodosia, next to her husband in the courtyard of the local cathedral, in which he was baptized and married.

Useful video: Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich - biography

Artist - philanthropist - citizen

It's no secret that over the years when Aivazovsky painted pictures, he managed to earn decent capital. This opened up a huge field of activity for the great artist as a patron of the arts. So with his money in his native Feodosia opens art Gallery and a school for young artists.

Knowing firsthand about eternal problem Feodosia - drinking water, Ivan Konstantinovich builds a fountain at his own expense and lays a 20-kilometer water pipe into the city from a spring that spouted on the territory of his estate. Upon completion of construction, he presented all this to his beloved Feodosia.

In addition, he also financed the laying of a railway to the port of Feodosia. In 1892 it took place Grand opening, which became a decisive factor for the active development of the largest commercial port of Crimea.

In confirmation of the versatility of the artist's interests, one can name his honorary membership in the Odessa Society of Archaeologists and Antiquities Lovers. And for good reason in Feodosia, on Mount Mithridates, a museum of historical artifacts was built with the artist's money.

This is interesting! Unfortunately, in 1941, the unique building of the Feodosia Museum, built according to the project of Aivazovsky, was destroyed as a result of the bombing.

On July 17 (29), 1817, one of the greatest Russian artists, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (Ovanes Gaivazovsky), was born in Feodosia (Crimea). His father was an Armenian businessman. He moved from Western Armenia to the south of Poland. Mom, Hripsime, was a good embroiderer. There were two daughters and three sons in the family.

From childhood, little Ivan showed the ability to music and drawing. He began to study at the Armenian parish school, then at the Simferopol gymnasium, then in 1833 he entered the Academy of Arts under M.N. Vorobyov in St. Petersburg, in the landscape class. He graduated from it in 1839.

Aivazovsky's first work was published in 1835 and appeared at an academic exhibition. It was "Study of air over the sea". Painting received positive reviews. Aivazovsky paints three more paintings with a marine theme and receives a big prize for them in 1837. gold medal.

The artist begins to work on commission and is sent on behalf of the Crimea, where he had to paint several Crimean landscapes. Further, in 1840, he travels to Italy, also for commissioned work. In Rome, Aivazovsky manages to exhibit his works. In general, being in Italy was very fruitful for him. He was able to get acquainted with such personalities as Gogol, Botkin, Panaev.

Then Aivazovsky goes to Venice to the island of St. Lazarus. There he was going to meet with his elder brother Gabriel, who was a member of the Mkhitarist religious brotherhood. In the future, the artist will visit this place more than once. The next cities were Florence, Amalfia, Sorrento, Naples and Rome. Italy taught Aivazovsky a lot and left a mark on his work. Here he created 50 of his paintings. He will arrange exhibitions in Rome and Naples, thanks to which the artist's fame began. The painting "Chaos" was especially highlighted, Pope Gregory XVI awarded Aivazovsky with a gold medal.

Further, success accompanied him in Venice, London, Amsterdam, Paris. He participated in international exhibition at the Louvre. In 1848, one of his famous works, The Chesme Battle, appeared. Since Aivazovsky wrote mainly on maritime topics, he was given the opportunity to be on military operations of the Main Naval Headquarters. "The sea is my life" - so the artist said. During the period of his work, about 6,000 paintings were created! The peculiarity is that Aivazovsky never painted the sea from nature. He always observed a lot and then reproduced from memory. After all, he, in fact, correctly believed that the sea is too changeable to paint it from life. Aivazovsky, through his paintings, admired the power and strength of the natural elements. Man and the natural element were always present in his works: whether it was a struggle in a storm, or a man against the backdrop of a calm sea.

In 1850, Aivazovsky creates a picture by which everyone recognizes him - The Ninth Wave. Around this time, his only foreign artist, awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. Aivazovsky does not stay in St. Petersburg and moves to his homeland in Feodosia. In addition to painting, Aivazovsky was engaged in charity work. He accumulated money from his works and invested them in the construction of the archaeological museum (Feodosia), improved the city itself. Also in his hometown he had his own workshop, where he was engaged in the education of young talents. Of these, Kuindzhi, Lagorio, Bogaevsky can be divided.

In general, Aivazovsky liked to help, especially to his Armenian people. In the 1840s, he organized a fundraiser to restore the work of the Armenian school in Constantinople, as well as Smyrna and Brus. Even in Constantinople, he painted landscapes to order for Sultan Abdul-Aziz himself.
Despite the general acceptance in Europe, native land in Russia, from the beginning of the 1870s, Aivazovsky's paintings began to be criticized. This happened partly from the fact that the artist preferred to work alone and exhibited his paintings only at personal exhibitions (By the way, Avazovsky is the first Russian artist who began to do this). Thus, he was removed from the society of artists and writers. Still, as many believed, he did not fit into modern painting and creativity. It acquired national character, and Aivazovsky continued to paint the sea. After the criticism, there was a certain period when nothing was heard about the artist, nothing was written about him anywhere. Although, thanks to Aivazovsky, who became famous in Europe and gained national fame there, he also glorified Russian painting. Being in his Armenian native land, he painted not only landscapes, but also portraits and scenes on a biblical theme.

In 1880, Aivazovsky built a museum-gallery next to his house, there were only 2 similar houses in Russia.
In 1882, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky divorced. Soon after, he marries Anna Burnazyan. This marriage brought him even closer to the Armenian people.

The events that took place in Armenia in the 1890s also greatly affected Aivazovsky. The Turkish Sultan Abdul-Hamid staged massive attacks and devastations on the Armenian population, many people died. Impressed by these events, Aivazovsky paints the pictures "Pogrom of Armenians in Trebizond", "Armenians are loaded onto ships", "Armenians are thrown into the sea alive". He also helped refugees with housing.

The last exhibition of the artist was held in St. Petersburg. After that, he is going to go to Italy. But he doesn't succeed. Death came to the artist on April 19, 1900.

Currently, Aivazovsky is called the founder of the direction of marinism, the so-called painting of a romantic landscape.
His last carina was "Byron's arrival on the island of St. Lazarus". Aivazovsky was buried in Feodosia, as he bequeathed, in the courtyard of the Church of Surb Sargis.

"Born mortal, left behind an immortal memory" - such an inscription on his tombstone.

Aivazovsky is often called the darling of fate. This is not surprising - popularity came to him in his youth and remained with the artist until last days life, and his paintings have always been very warmly received by the public. Aivazovsky is among those artists that even people who are far from fine arts know about, and whose work is liked by the absolute majority. Aivazovsky owes such success, of course, to his unique talent: he is often called the "singer of the sea." Indeed, the artist devoted his whole life and all his work to this element, each time discovering it in a new way in an endless series of canvases. Below is a relatively short story about the biography and work of Aivazovsky, interesting facts and performance features that shaped unique style marine painter.

Biography. Childhood

Hovhannes Ayvazyan - this is the real name of the artist - was born on July 17 (29), 1817 in the ancient Crimean city of Feodosia in the family of an impoverished merchant Gevork (Konstantin) Ayvazyan. Gevork wrote his last name in the Polish manner - Gaivazovsky. Their family barely made ends meet, and Hovhannes, the youngest son, began to earn extra money from the age of ten.

The boy's talent manifested itself very early. The Ayvazyan house stood on the outskirts of the city, on a hill with an extraordinary view of the sea. The susceptibility of the future artist allowed him to absorb all the beauty of the boundless sea element in order to later embody it in his immortal canvases.

But even then Hovhannes was already painting. Thanks to happy occasion, with which the biography and work of Aivazovsky abound (who was invariably accompanied only by success during his lifetime), his drawings were noticed by the mayor Kaznacheev. He highly appreciated the boy's abilities and took an ardent part in his fate. Treasurers gave him paints and paper for drawing and taught him from the city architect, then sent him to Simferopol to the gymnasium. There, in Simferopol, Ayvazyan's talent was also noticed, and it was decided to apply for his enrollment in

The President of the Academy in those years was Olenin, a well-known patron of the arts, who did a lot for Russian culture. Seeing an extraordinary talent in Ayvazyan, he decides to send a 13-year-old boy to the Academy.

Studying at the Academy of Arts

At the Academy, Hovhannes Ayvazyan (he would change his name to "Ivan Aivazovsky" a little later, in 1841) got into the landscape class with M. N. Vorobyov, one of famous painters early XIX century. Vorobyov became famous not only for his paintings, but also to a large extent for a whole galaxy of famous artists, whom he brought up (and Aivazovsky - among them). Vorobyov immediately noticed his student's penchant for the sea, and then supported and developed it in every possible way. He himself was one of the best landscape painters of his time, and Aivazovsky adopted and adopted many of his individual skills. This is well felt in the painting "Seashore at night. At the lighthouse" (1837).

While studying at the Academy, Aivazovsky also actively got acquainted with works of art collected in the Hermitage and private collections. Then he participates in academic exhibition with two canvases: "Study of air over the sea", his first painting, and "View of the seaside in the vicinity of St. Petersburg".

Trip to Crimea

In the spring of 1838, Aivazovsky, by decision of the Academy Council, went to the Crimea for two years to improve his skills. Naturally, the artist chooses Feodosia, the city where he spent his childhood, as his place of residence. There he writes a lot from nature: he creates sketches, small sketches.

In the same place, Aivazovsky painted his first large canvas from life: Yalta (1838). In this picture, the influence of another famous Russian landscape painter is noticeable, but it is in the Crimea that the artist’s original style begins to take shape. This is more noticeable in the painting "Old Feodosia" (1839). In the canvases created on the Crimean coast, the artist seeks to create an image of a specific place, to capture unique, character traits places.

In 1839, Aivazovsky, at the invitation of Raevsky, went on a naval campaign to the shores of the Caucasus. According to the impressions left from that trip, he later wrote "The Landing of N. N. Raevsky near Subashi" (1839).

In 1840, Aivazovsky returned to St. Petersburg, where he officially completed his studies and was awarded the title of artist.

Italy

In the summer of 1840, Aivazovsky, as a boarder of the Academy, among others, went to Rome to improve his skills. There he travels a lot, making countless sketches, sketches, later finalizing them in the studio. Here it finally takes shape creative method artist: amazing sensitivity to the elusive nuances of the state of the elements, the ability to memorize the picture in detail, and then refine the sketches in the workshop based on what he saw. He created many canvases without any sketches from life, from memory.

In Italy, in three years, he creates, in addition to other paintings, more than 30 large-format canvases - his work capacity is truly extraordinary. These are views of Naples, Venice, Amalfi, Sorrento. But besides them, there are really monumental works: "The Creation of the World. Chaos" - the most ambitious of everything he created in Italy. All the artist's works are distinguished by an impeccable color composition, sustained in a single style and perfectly conveying all the nuances of the mood of the landscape.

He would later repeatedly return to Italian landscapes, creating new canvases from memory in the workshop.

northern seas

Aivazovsky returned to his homeland as a world-famous artist. He was awarded the title of academician, and also assigned to the Main Naval Staff. Here there is a volume and difficult task: write all Russian seaports on the Baltic Sea. This is how a large series of paintings appears, among which are views of Krondshtat, Reval, Sveaborg. All of them combine documentary accuracy in the transfer of details and at the same time poetic spirituality.

Especially among others stands out "Revel" (1844) - so transparent and light, with the most delicate shades of sky and water, the landscape is lyrical work, an example of poetry.

In 1845, Aivazovsky, together with the Litke expedition, traveled to Turkey, Greece and Asia Minor. The result of this trip will later be several views of Constantinople, the coast of Turkey and the Bosphorus; the most famous painting from those places is "Georgievsky Monastery. Cape Fiolent" (1846). The paintings acquire a noticeable romantic hue, in many respects consonant with Pushkin's poetry about the sea, interesting effects of moonlight and sunlight.

Naval battles

While still a full-time painter of the Main Naval Staff, Aivazovsky created many battle paintings depicting naval battles of the Russian flotilla. In them, he sang the glory of Russian weapons and the valor of sailors. The most famous paintings are "Chesme battle on the night of June 25-26, 1770" (1848) and "Battle in the Chios Strait on June 24, 1770" (1848), which depict key naval battles Russian Empire.

Aivazovsky also depicted episodes from Russian-Turkish war and defense of Sevastopol. In particular, several paintings were devoted to the famous brig "Mercury", which won in an unequal battle with two Turkish battleships.

In the pictures of battles, the battle does not obscure the image of the sea: they are skillfully intertwined, and in the battle scene one of the heroes is the sea, majestic and peculiar.

Workshop in Feodosia

In 1846, Aivazovsky began building his own house and workshop in Feodosia. After the Litke expedition, he basically lives and works there, visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow. From nature, he no longer writes; works only in the workshop, relying on his memory. He is actively involved in social activities, organizes his exhibitions, in 1847 he received the title of professor at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.

In the 1860s and 70s, his work flourished. Paintings "Sea" (1864), "Black Sea" (1881) are created. Their extraordinary strength lies in the fact that, in addition to external beauty, Aivazovsky very accurately conveyed internal state, the character and mood of the sea, literally spiritualized it. It was noticed and appreciated by many eminent figures art of that time.

Aivazovsky continued to create paintings until the end of his life. One of his last works, "Among the Waves" (1898), is considered by some to be the pinnacle of the artist's work. Deprived of any details - fragments of masts, people - the image of the raging sea is majestic in its irresistibility. Indeed, this is a grandiose result of the work of the great marine painter.

Features of creativity

Many artists in one way or another turned to the marine theme throughout their work. However, it was Aivazovsky who devoted all of himself to the sea without a trace. From the combination of this endless love for the open spaces of the sea and the ability to perceive the slightest shades of the mood of nature, the exceptional originality of his work grew.

The biography and work of Aivazovsky began in the days of romanticism. The work of famous Russian poets of that time - Zhukovsky, Pushkin - largely influenced the formation of his style. However, the most impressive of all famous contemporaries Aivazovsky was produced by the painter Karl Bryullov and his works. This was later reflected in battle scenes artist.

Aivazovsky's romanticism lies in the fact that, with all the liveliness of the paintings, the emphasis is not on realism, authenticity, but on the general impression, on the mood of the landscape. Therefore, a lot of attention is paid to color: each picture is sustained in a certain tone with an infinite number of shades of variations, together creating a single whole, the harmony of all elements of the landscape. Aivazovsky paid special attention here to the interaction of water and air: he wrote out both in one session, which created a sense of the unity of space.

In more later years he began to gradually turn to realism: in the 70s, these are just some of the elements, and romantic direction prevails, but in the 80s they occupy more and more space: showiness, colorfulness, dramatic plots disappear, and calmer, discreet landscapes, nevertheless also filled with poetry and charm, come to replace them.

The most famous paintings

Almost all of the most famous paintings have already been mentioned in the course of the story about the biography and work of Aivazovsky. For children 10 years and older, it may be worth mentioning the most "replicated" painting by the artist - "The Ninth Wave" (1850). The dramatic plot - dawn at sea after a strong storm and people fighting the elements - sings of the superiority, power of nature, and the powerlessness of man in front of her greatness.

Personal life

Talking about the biography and work of the artist Aivazovsky, we bypassed his personal life. And he married in 1848 Yulia Yakovlevna Grefs. According to his own letters, everything happened unusually quickly - "in two weeks" after they met, he got married, and in marriage Yulia Yakovlevna gave him four daughters. However, family life did not work out, and after a while a divorce followed.

In 1882, Aivazovsky married a second time - to the widow of a Feodosia merchant, Anna Burnazyan. Despite her lack of secular education, she had a natural sense of tact and sensitivity, and cared for her husband with great warmth.

And van Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is one of the most prolific Russian marine painters. For more than 60 years of creativity, he painted over 6,000 paintings. Contemporaries were surprised - with what speed the Master created his masterpieces. were beyond comprehension painting techniques artist, performance technique, selection of colors, virtuoso effects of a transparent wave and the breath of the sea.

The artist Ivan Kramskoy wrote to Pavel Tretyakov: “Aivazovsky probably has the secret of composing paints, and even the paints themselves are secret; I have never seen such bright and pure tones even on the shelves of Muscat shops. The main secret Aivazovsky was not a secret: in order to write the sea so believably, you need to be born and live long life at the sea shore.

Let's add a few more ingredients to this fact - diligence, talent, impeccable memory and a rich imagination - this is how Aivazovsky's famous paintings were born. That's the whole secret of genius.

The artist painted quickly and a lot - about 100 paintings a year. And all his legacy has been recognized by collectors as one of the most "strong". The artist's canvases seem to be timeless, always in excellent condition, crack least of all, and are extremely rarely subjected to restoration.

Columbus sailing through Cape Palos. 1892. Private collection

The main secret is in the technique of applying paints. Aivazovsky preferred oil, although his sea and waves seem to be watercolor. His favorite technique was glaze, based on the application of thin (almost transparent) paints on top of each other. As a result, the waves, clouds and the sea on the canvases seemed transparent and alive, and the integrity of the paint layer was not violated or destroyed.

The genius of Aivazovsky was recognized by the most prominent people Russia and the world. He met and was friendly with Pushkin, Krylov, Gogol, Zhukovsky, Bryullov, Glinka. He was received in the palaces of kings and nobles, the Pope himself gave him an audience and awarded him a gold medal for the painting “Chaos. World creation". The pontiff wanted to buy the masterpiece he liked, but Aivazovsky simply presented it.

Chaos. World creation. 1841. Museum of the Armenian Congregation of Mekhitarists, Venice, Italy

Pope Gregory XVI took the painting to the Vatican Museum. Now it is located in Venice, on the island of St. Lazarus. The fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century, Pope Leon XIII donated the painting to the Museum of the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation. Perhaps one of the reasons was that here, on the island of St. Lazarus, the elder brother of the artist Gabriel lived. He held a prominent position in the religious fraternity. In the life of the artist, this place was sacred, reminiscent of "little Armenia" near Venice.

Byron's visit to the Mkhitarists on the island of St. Lazarus in Venice. 1899. National Gallery Armenia, Yerevan

Aivazovsky's works were admired by all of Europe - an academician and honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, he was also elected an honorary member of the Academies of Arts in Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, Florence and Stuttgart.

Ivan Kramskoy wrote: “... Aivazovsky, no matter what anyone says, is a star of the first magnitude, in any case; and not only here, but in the history of art in general…”. Emperor Nicholas I declared: "Whatever Aivazovsky writes, it will be bought by me." It was with a light suggestion that Emperor Aivazovsky was secretly called the "king of the sea."

All his long and happy life- a storehouse magic stories and facts - insanely interesting and colorful. The artist participated in more than 120 exhibitions both in Russia and in Europe and America. Over 60 of them were personal! At that time, among Russian artists, only the romantic marine painter Aivazovsky could afford a personal exhibition.

You may already know that the works of Aivazovsky Not only the most sold, and at the same time - the most stolen and counterfeited in the world .

Crimean coast near Ai-Petri. 1890. Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, Petrozavodsk

The authenticity of Aivazovsky's paintings can be verified, but this is an extremely costly procedure, both in terms of time and money. As a result, half of the things passed off on the market as Aivazovsky's paintings are fakes, but they are so successful that they are still bought, but for more low prices. Moreover, the number of fakes significantly exceeds the number of originals. The master himself admitted to having written over 6,000 works throughout his life, but today more than 50,000 works are considered originals!

Aivazovsky did not paint from nature. He painted most of his paintings from memory. Sometimes it was enough for an artist to hear interesting story, and in a moment he took up the brush. To create a masterpiece, the artist did not need much time, sometimes one session was enough ... “I can’t write quietly, I can’t pore for months. I don’t leave the picture until I speak out ” , - Ivan Konstantinovich admitted. His longest work was the painting "Among the Waves". 10 days - that's how long it took the artist, who at that time was 81 years old, to create his largest painting.

Among the waves. 1898. Feodosia Art Gallery them. I.K.Aivazovsky

It is authentically known that the plot of the picture was originally different. This became known from the words of Aivazovsky's grandson Konstantin Konstantinovich Artseulov:

The painting "Among the Waves" was created two days before his death. In length - it is almost 4.5 m, and in width - about 3.

All these short facts are quite common, but there are others that are little known, revealing the image of the artist and his work from various angles.

So 5 little known facts from the life of the artist (on the 200th anniversary of the birth of I.K. Aivazovsky)

An incident in the workshop of A.I. Kuindzhi.

Once the artist A.I. Kuindzhi invited Aivazovsky to his academic workshop in order to demonstrate to his students the skill and technique of performance, which was known only to Aivazovsky.

The Soviet landscape painter A. A. Rylov recalled this: “Arkhip Ivanovich led the guest to the easel and turned to Aivazovsky: “This is it ... Ivan Konstantinovich, show them how to write the sea.”

Sea. 1898. Lugansk regional Art Museum

Aivazovsky named the four or five colors he needed, examined the brushes, touched the canvas, standing, without leaving the easel, playing with the brush like a virtuoso, painted a sea storm. At the request of Arkhip Ivanovich, he immediately depicted a ship rocking on the waves, and with amazing deftness, with the usual movement of the brush, he gave him a complete outfit. The painting is ready and signed. One hour and fifty minutes ago there was a blank canvas, now the sea is raging on it. With noisy applause, we expressed our gratitude to the venerable artist and escorted him to the carriage throughout the workshop.

At that time, the artist was 80 years old.

Favorite cities of Aivazovsky

It is amazing how much passion for traveling around the world and love for the motherland intertwined in this man. Where has he been! Customs officers pasted additional pages into his passport. His foreign passport contained 135 visa stamps. He visited the most beautiful countries and cities on the planet, but with awe and admiration he treated only two cities - Constantinople and his little Theodosius, to which he was devoted until the end of his life. “My address is always in Feodosia,” he shared with Pavel Tretyakov.

Ships on the Feodosia roadstead. Honoring Aivazovsky on the occasion of his 80th birthday. 1897. Central Naval Museum, St. Petersburg

Feodosia was an outlet, a historical homeland, a place of birth, an indispensable hearth and home. Constantinople - was a favorite haven during travels. Of all the cities, he glorified only this - a marvelous city on the Bosphorus.

He first visited the capital of the Ottoman Empire in 1845. Since then, he has been coming back here again and again. The exact number of paintings dedicated to the views of Constantinople remains unknown. The estimated number is around 100.

View of Constantinople. 1849. Tsarskoye Selo State Artistic and Architectural Palace and Park Museum-Reserve, Pushkin

About one day, the Turkish Sultan Abdulaziz was presented with one of Aivazovsky's paintings. The Sultan was completely delighted and ordered the artist a series of views of the Bosphorus. Aivazovsky considered that in this way he could contribute to the establishment of mutual understanding between the Turks and Armenians, and accepted the order. He painted about 40 paintings for the Sultan . Abdul-Aziz was so pleased with the work of Aivazovsky that he awarded him the highest Turkish order "Osmaniye".

Subsequently, Aivazovsky received several more orders from the hands of the Turkish ruler. And in 1878, a peace agreement between Russia and Turkey (the so-called Peace of San Stefano) was signed in a hall decorated with paintings by Aivazovsky.

"Eastern scene". "Coffee shop at Ortakoy Mosque in Constantinople". 1846. State Artistic and Architectural Palace and Park Museum-Reserve "Peterhof".

However, when in the 1890s Sultan Abdul-Hamid staged pogroms that killed hundreds of thousands of Armenians, outraged Aivazovsky hastened to get rid of all the Ottoman awards.

Putting on the collar of the yard dog all the Turkish orders, he walked through the streets of Feodosia. They say that the whole city joined the procession. Surrounded by a huge crowd, Aivazovsky headed to the sea. Soon he climbed into the boat, and, having moved a sufficient distance from the shore, he raised the shining orders above his head and threw them into the sea.

Later, he met with the Turkish consul and said that his "bloody master" could do the same with his paintings, the artist would not regret it.

Annoyed by the aggressive policy of the Turks, Aivazovsky paints several paintings in support of the Armenians, depicting the brutal crimes of the Turks against his people. They have repeatedly exhibited at the most prestigious exhibitions in Europe. He directed all funds from the sale of paintings to help Armenian refugees. Ivan Konstantinovich did not expect help from the government or the city administration, he met refugees at the entrance to Feodosia and offered them to settle on his land, supplying them with money for the first time.

- “It is a shame to turn away from your nationality, especially such a small and oppressed one,” said Ivan Konstantinovich.

Night. Tragedy in the Sea of ​​Marmara. 1897. Private collection

"Father of the City" Ivan Aivazovsky and Feodosia

Aivazovsky was the first honorary person of Feodosia. All his life he was actively engaged in its improvement, contributed to the prosperity of the city. His influence on the Theodosian life was enormous. The artist opened an art school in Feodosia, turning Feodosia into one of the centers of pictorial culture in southern Russia. On his initiative, a city was built concert hall, library.

Feodosia on a moonlit night. View from the balcony of Aivazovsky's house to the sea and the city. 1880. State Art Museum Altai Territory, Barnaul

At his expense, a parish school was created and maintained.

Aivazovsky also took part in the construction of a new building for the Feodosia Men's Gymnasium, whose students in different time were the poet and translator Maximilian Voloshin, the husband of Marina Tsvetaeva - publicist Sergei Efron, Alexander Peshkovsky - Russian and Soviet linguist, professor, one of the pioneers in the study of Russian syntax. Aivazovsky was the trustee of this gymnasium, allocated scholarships and paid for studies to needy students. The gymnasium existed until 1918.

The first train in Feodosia. 1892. Feodosia Art Gallery. I.K.Aivazovsky

He also ensured that a railway was built in the city. His painting "The First Train to Feodosia" was created even before the construction of the railway, that is, by imagination.

I always remember a late friend who said to me more than once: “What kind of hunt do you want, Ivan Konstantinovich, to seek a railway for Feodosia, it will only pollute the coast and obscure the wonderful view of the bay from your house.” Indeed, if I took care of myself personally, then I should have opposed the construction of the Feodosian railway with all my might. My estate is located near Feodosia and far from the projected railway line, the services of which I therefore will not have to use. The only house that belongs to me in Feodosia, in which I live, with the construction of a railway along the seashore, may become uninhabited and, in any case, will lose for me the character of a cozy corner. Those who know how to sacrifice their personal interests for the public good will easily understand what motives I am guided by in defending Theodosius ... "

All important buildings in Feodosia were behind the scenes under the supervision of Aivazovsky. A typical case from the life of the artist was described in his memoirs by Yuri Galabutsky:

"You're ruining my street!"

“Once in the winter, Aivazovsky, as usual, left for some time in St. Petersburg. When returning, as usual, two or three stations from Feodosia, he was met by those closest to him and immediately reported all the city news that I.K. listened with keen curiosity. And he learns that the inhabitant N. is building a house on the main street - Italianskaya; construction has already begun in the absence of I.K., and the house will be one-story. I.K. terribly excited: cottage on the main street! Immediately upon arrival, not having had time to rest from the road, he calls the inhabitant N. He, of course, immediately appears. “Are you building a one-story house? Shame on you? You are a rich man, what are you doing? You're ruining the street for me!" . And the layman N. obediently changes the plan and builds a two-story house.

Thanks to him, the port was completely redone, expanding it and making it modern and convenient for ships. Port in Feodosia for a long time was considered the largest commercial port in the Crimea.

Pier in Feodosia. mid XIX V. State Vladimir-Suzdal Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve

With his own money, Aivazovsky built the building of the Archaeological Museum (the building of the museum was blown up by retreating from the Crimea Soviet troops in 1941) and donated a theater to his native city, more precisely, it was a stage in his art gallery.

In the early 1890s, according to his own project and at his own expense, Aivazovsky erected a fountain in memory of the mayor of Feodosia A. I. Kaznacheev (the fountain was lost in the 1940s).

In 1886, Feodosia experienced a severe shortage of water.

“Not being able to continue to be a witness to the terrible disaster that the population of my native city suffers from lack of water from year to year, I give him 50 thousand buckets a day as an eternal property clean water from the Subash source that belongs to me,” Ivan Aivazovsky wrote in his address to the City Duma in 1887.

The Subash spring was located on the estate of the artist Shah-Mamai, not far from the Old Crimea, 25 versts from Feodosia. In 1887, work began on laying a water pipe, thanks to which water came to the city. In the park near the embankment, according to the project of the artist, a fountain was built, the water from which locals received for free. In one of his letters, Aivazovsky wrote:

"Fountain in oriental style so good that neither in Constantinople nor anywhere else do I know such a successful one, especially in proportions.

The fountain was an exact copy of the fountain in Constantinople. Now the fountain bears the name of Aivazovsky.

In 1880, in his house, Aivazovsky opens showroom(the famous Feodosia art gallery), which the artist bequeathed to his native city.

It is my sincere desire that the building of my art gallery in the city of Feodosia, with all the paintings, statues and other works of art in this gallery, be the full property of the city of Feodosia, and in memory of me, Aivazovsky, I bequeath the gallery to the city of Feodosia, my hometown."

Some sources claim that the artist also bequeathed the fee for visiting his gallery to the Feodosian poor.

Until the end of his days, he was busy with scholarships and pensions for the inhabitants of his city, so the news of the death of the artist was perceived as a personal grief for thousands of Feodosians, for whom Aivazovsky was a loved one - after all, he christened many children and married hundreds of neighboring girls who glorified artist, remembering his favors.

The realization that the “father of the city”, a citizen, patriot, philanthropist, who had no equal in the history of Feodosia, had passed away, came a little later. All shops were closed that day. The city plunged into the heaviest mourning.

Funeral of I.K. Aivazovsky April 22, 1900
Funeral of I.K. Aivazovsky. A hearse and a funeral procession outside the art gallery building.

For three days the Feodosian churches mourned the departure of Ivan Konstantinovich with a bell ringing. The great hall of the art gallery was filled with many funeral wreaths. For three days people went to the art gallery to honor the memory of Aivazovsky. Delegations arrived in Feodosia, including those from the Armenian diasporas.

The funeral procession stretched from Aivazovsky's house to the medieval Armenian church of St. Sargis, in the fence of which the burial took place. The choice of the burial place was not accidental - it was bequeathed by the artist himself, because it was in this church that he was baptized, and the artist's frescoes were preserved here.

Mourning veils covered the lanterns in the nearby streets. And the road itself was strewn with flowers.

The local garrison took part in the funeral, giving military honors to the deceased - a fact that was exceptional at that time. Later, an inscription in Armenian will appear on his grave: "Born a mortal, he left an immortal memory behind him."

“He was a friend of Pushkin, but he didn’t read Pushkin”

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900)

The first and only meeting of the artist with the Great Poet of Russia took place in 1836. The artist at that time was only 19 years old. Years later, Ivan Konstantinovich recalled this meeting:

“... In 1836, three months before his death, precisely in September, Pushkin came to the Academy of Arts with his wife Natalia Nikolaevna, to our September exhibition of paintings. Having learned that Pushkin was at the exhibition and went to the Antique Gallery, we, the students, ran there and surrounded our beloved poet with a crowd. Arm in arm with his wife, he stood in front of the picture of the artist Lebedev, a gifted landscape painter, and looked at and admired it for a long time. Our inspector of the academy, Krutov, who ero accompanied ... saw me, took me by the hand and introduced Pushkin to the fact that he was then receiving a gold medal (I graduated from the academy that year).

Pushkin greeted me very affectionately and asked me where my paintings were... Upon learning that I was a Crimean native, Pushkin asked: “What city are you from?” Then he wondered if I had been here for a long time and if I was sick in the north ... Since then, the poet I already loved has become the subject of my thoughts, inspiration and long conversations and questions about him ... "

In February 1837, Pushkin died. For a young artist who was compared at the Academy with the brilliant Pushkin, this tragic event was catastrophic. After all, they have so much in common - a circle of friends, interests, both sang of nature, Crimea. It seemed that there were so many interesting meetings with Pushkin himself ahead ...

Aivazovsky's first experiences were reflected in the painting "Seashore at Night". The artist painted it near Kronstadt. A young man on the shore, stretching his hands forward, welcoming the approach of the storm - This is Aivazovsky's first tribute to the memory of Pushkin. Later he would dedicate about twenty more paintings and drawings to the poet. But only a few will be the most famous.

Seashore at night. At the lighthouse. 1837. Feodosia Art Gallery. I.K. Aivazovsky

A.S. Pushkin in the Crimea near the Gurzuf rocks. 1880

Pushkin on the Black Sea coast. 1887.

Nikolaev Art Museum. V.V. Vereshchagin, Ukraine

A.S. Pushkin on top of Ai-Petri at sunrise. 1899

State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

A.S. Pushkin on the Black Sea coast. 1897

Odessa Art Museum, Ukraine

Farewell to A.S. Pushkin with the sea. 1877

All-Russian Museum A.S. Pushkin, St. Petersburg

The picture was executed together with I.E. Repin. Repin painted Pushkin, the landscape was made by Aivazovsky. The painting is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the poet's death. The plot was taken from Pushkin's poem - "To sea". As is known from Odessa, Pushkin was sent in 1824 to a new place of exile - to the village of Mikhailovskoye. The painting depicts the moment of farewell of the disgraced poet with the sea.

Farewell, sea! I won't forget
Your solemn beauty
And for a long, long time I will hear
Your buzz in the evening hours.
In the forests, in the deserts are silent
I will transfer, full of you,
Your rocks, your bays
And shine, and shadow, and the sound of waves.

In 1847, on the tenth anniversary of Pushkin's death, Aivazovsky presented his painting to his widow. « Moonlight night at the seaside. Constantinople".

Moonlit night at the seaside. 1847. Feodosia Art Gallery. I.K.Aivazovsky

Despite good memory about Pushkin, Aivazovsky did not read it. Ivan Konstantinovich was absolutely indifferent to reading in general. This is known from the words of another genius - A.P. Chekhov:

“July 22, Feodosia. 1888. Yesterday I went to Shah-Mamai, the estate of Aivazovsky, 25 miles from Feodosia. The estate is luxurious, somewhat fabulous; such estates can probably be seen in Persia. Aivazovsky himself, a vigorous old man of about 75, is a cross between a good-natured Armenian woman and a bored bishop; full of dignity, his hands are soft and serve them like a general. Not far away, but the nature is complex and worthy of attention.

In himself alone, he combines the general, and the bishop, and the artist, and the Armenian, and the naive grandfather, and Othello. Married to a young and very beautiful woman, which keeps in hedgehogs. Familiar with sultans, shahs and emirs. He wrote Ruslan and Lyudmila together with Glinka. He was a friend of Pushkin, but he did not read Pushkin. He has not read a single book in his life. When offered to read, he says: “Why should I read if I have my own opinions?” I stayed with him all day and dined...

Eastern origin of the artist

Self-portrait. 1874. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

On the net you can find many opinions regarding the origin of the artist. Russians call him a Russian artist, Armenians call him a Russian artist Armenian origin, and only, it seems that no one has ever asked the opinion of the Turks. Although, I am sure that the Turks will stubbornly prove oriental origin Aivazovsky. And in some ways they will even be right.

The fact is that immediately after the death of the artist, in 1901, book "Memories of Aivazovsky" , the author of which is a contemporary and devoted friend of I.K. Aivazovsky Nikolay Kuzmin. Already on its second page you can find a story about the origin of the artist:

“Turkish blood flowed in the veins of Aivazovsky, although for some reason it was customary for us to still consider him a blood Armenian, probably due to his constant sympathy for the unfortunate Armenians, which intensified after the Anatolian and Constantinople massacres, violence and robberies, which horrified everyone, reached its climax, forcing him to secretly do good to the oppressed with a broad hand and loudly resent the inaction of Europe, which did not want to interfere in this massacre.

I. K. Aivazovsky himself once recalled his origin, in the circle of his family, the following interesting and, therefore, quite reliable legend. The story given here was originally recorded from his words and is stored in family archives artist.

“I was born in the city of Feodosia in 1817, but the real homeland of my close ancestors, my father, was far from here, not in Russia. Who would have thought that the war - this all-destroying scourge, served to ensure that my life was preserved and that I saw the light and was born precisely on the shores of my beloved Black Sea. And yet it was so. In 1770, the Russian army, led by Rumyantsev, laid siege to Bendery. The fortress was taken, and the Russian soldiers, irritated by the stubborn resistance and death of their comrades, scattered around the city and, listening only to the feeling of revenge, spared neither sex nor age.

Among their victims was the secretary of the Pasha of Bendery. Mortally struck by a Russian grenadier, he bled to death, clutching a baby in his arms, who was preparing the same fate. The Russian bayonet was already raised over the young Turk, when one Armenian held his punishing hand with an exclamation: "Stop! This is my son! He's a Christian!" A noble lie served to save, and the child was spared. This child was my father. The good Armenian did not end his beneficence with this, he became the second father of a Muslim orphan, christening him under the name of Konstantin and giving him the surname Gayvazovsky, from the word Gayzov, which in Turkish means secretary.

Having lived for a long time with his benefactor in Galicia, Konstantin Aivazovsky finally settled in Feodosia, where he married a young beautiful southerner, also an Armenian, and at first engaged in successful trading operations "...

The real name of the artist is Hovhannes Ayvazyan . The father of the future master, Konstantin (Gevorg), an Armenian by origin, after moving to Feodosia, wrote a surname in the Polish manner: “ Gaivazovsky" . Until the 1940s, one could even see the signature "Guy" in the master's paintings - an abbreviation for the surname. But in 1841, the artist finally changed his surname and officially became Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky.

The most expensive painting by Ivan Aivazovsky:

View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus. 1856. Private collection

"View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus" today is in private collection. In 2012, the painting was sold for £3.23 million.

The painting went to an unnamed buyer over the phone after an intense auction in the hall. At the same time, the final price was almost three times higher than the lower limit of the estimate - Sotheby's experts estimated Aivazovsky at 1.2-1.8 million pounds.

Aivazovsky first visited Constantinople in 1845 as an official artist of the Russian Admiralty. The artist has repeatedly addressed the theme of this city, he has paintings with views of Hagia Sophia and the Golden Horn Bay, but most of them are not very large. This work is quite a monumental canvas.

It is noteworthy that “the view of Constantinople and the Bosporus Bay, which depicts the lively life of the port with the Tophane Nusretiye mosque, was restored by the artist from memory.

For the 200th anniversary of Ivan Aivazovsky, a wonderful online publication about art Arthive revived the canvases of the great marine painter. What came of it, see for yourself:

Found an error? Select it and left click Ctrl+Enter.

The famous 19th-century marine painter Ivan (Hovhannes) Aivazovsky was born 200 years ago in Feodosia, into the family of a bankrupt Armenian merchant. Father Konstantin (Gevorg) moved to Feodosia from Galicia, where his parents moved from Western Armenia in the 18th century.

"Ivan's father was a merchant. He spoke six languages. Having moved to Feodosia, he replaced his name Gevorg, which is unusual for Russians, with the name Konstantin. The future artist Hovhannes Ayvazyan was also born here," Honored Cultural Worker of Armenia Shagen Khachatryan said in an interview with Sputnik Armenia.

The father of the future seascape painter began to write his last name with the prefix "hay" (translated from Armenian - Armenian). In Russian, the letter "h" was replaced by "g" - this is how the surname Gayvazyan appeared.

Later, the artist's family was listed in the documents as the Gaivazovskys, in the Polish way. Ivan Gaivazovsky has shown talent as an artist from an early age. He paints various landscapes on the walls of the houses of Feodosia, in which the sea is necessarily present. At that time, the mayor of Feodosia was Alexander Kaznacheev. One day, walking through the streets of the city, he saw a teenager painting on the walls of houses with charcoal.

"Hovhannes was then about ten years old. He painted with charcoal on the white walls - an imaginary easel, an old fortress with a raging sea," Khachatryan said.

Treasurers immediately recognized in little boy great talent. Since then, he supported him, as the family of a bankrupt merchant had difficulty making ends meet. After graduating from the Feodosia state school, the young artist, not without the support of Kaznacheev, was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. The head of Feodosia wrote a letter to St. Petersburg recommending that a talented young man of Armenian origin be taken to the vacant position. Treasurers did not fail - Aivazovsky graduated from the Academy of Arts with a gold medal. By the age of 27, Ivan has become a respected member of the academy and is gradually becoming a popular artist. The Emperor of Russia invites him to the palace and commissions a series of paintings.

In 1840, after many years of deliberation, Ivan and his older brother Gabriel decided to change their surname to Aivazovsky. They decided to make the surname more harmonious and write it in Russian Aivazovsky, and in Armenian - Ayvazyan.

The decision was made in Italy, in the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation on the island of Saint Lazarus. Ivan or Hovhannes came here as a scholarship holder of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, and Gabriel studied at the local school from a young age.

"Aivazovsky in his letters has repeatedly mentioned that he considers the spelling of his last name as Gaivazovsky incorrect," Khachatryan said.

Ivan on the canvases dedicated to the Armenian theme was signed by Ayvazyan, all his other works were signed by "Aivazovsky".

According to Khachatryan, today Aivazovsky is considered a Russian marine painter, he was brought up in the traditions of the Russian painting school.

However, in the letters addressed to the Armenian Catholicos Nerses Ashtaraketsi, the marine painter writes that he serves the Armenian people and, above all, considers himself an Armenian.