May 2: Ivan Aivazovsky – Russian marine painter, a legend of the 19th century
Ivan Aivazovsky died on May 2, 1900, at the age of 82. It was the day the provincial town of Feodosia bid farewell to the artist who had transformed his small homeland into a cultural center and Russian painting into an achromatic masterpiece.
From an Armenian merchant to a Russian genius
Hovhannes Ayvazyan was born in 1817 to a ruined Armenian merchant. From childhood, he was drawn to art: he taught himself to play the violin and earned extra money playing it at a local coffee shop. At the age of eight, he drew his first charcoal drawing on the wall of a house—a sailboat. Impressed, the mayor suggested sending the boy to study with a local architect.
At the age of 14, Aivazovsky entered the studio of the court artist Salvator Tonchi in Moscow, and at 16 he became a state student at the Russian Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.
The struggle with the teacher and the emperor's mercy
The first years of his studies were difficult. The French marine artist Philippe Tanner overwhelmed him with menial tasks and forbade him from painting independently. But Aivazovsky found time for his own paintings and arbitrarily exhibited them at the Academy Exhibition, where critics praised his work. An outraged Tanner complained to Nicholas I, who summarily ordered all of the young man's paintings removed.
But fate was kind. The teacher Alexander Sauerweid, who worked with the emperor's children, saw one of Aivazovsky's paintings and showed it to Nicholas I. He ordered the student to be paid and sent him on a journey with Grand Duke Konstantin around the Baltic. For his achievements, Aivazovsky was released from the Academy two years early and granted nobility.
A world-renowned marine artist
In 1839, at the age of 22, Aivazovsky was invited to witness the escape of Russian weapons. He participated in the landing of Russian troops on the Caucasus coast and sketched the battles.
For six years, he traveled at the Academy's expense, studying in Italy, where his creative method was finally formed: working outdoors for short periods, then reconstructing landscapes from memory in his studio. As he himself said, "The subject of a painting is formed in my memory, like the subject of a poem in a poet."
Abroad, Aivazovsky lived modestly, sending money to his mother, but his paintings found buyers—one was purchased by the Pope himself. Gradually gaining fame, he visited almost all of Europe, including Egypt and the Greek islands, and made numerous trips to the Caucasus.
Six thousand paintings and one love
Returning to Russia, Aivazovsky received the title of academician and was appointed artist to the General Naval Staff. During the Crimean War, he twice visited besieged Sevastopol. At the age of 75, he traveled to America.
During his lifetime, the artist painted over 6000 paintings—more than half of them were maritime-themed. Some critics accused him of repetition, but Aivazovsky himself explained it simply: "I deliberately repeat subjects to correct previous flaws, sometimes noticed only by me."
His technique was a breakthrough for the 19th century. His paintings are not static—they breathe a watery element, ready to spill over the edges of the frame. He was the first Russian artist to organize exhibitions in provincial towns.
Feodosia as a temple of art
Aivazovsky built a luxurious house in his native Feodosia and spent most of his time there. He actively developed the city: he opened an art school, an art gallery, a concert hall, a museum of antiquities, and was the initiator of a railroad. He even installed a water supply from his own spring 25 miles outside the city.
His first wife, Yulia Grefs, who bore him four daughters, was irritated by his love for Crimea. She preferred St. Petersburg and drove him into debt. After their divorce, Aivazovsky married Anna Buzanyan, 40 years his junior. He spent the last years of his life with her.
Chekhov, who visited the artist in Feodosia, wrote of him: "He's not very bright, but he's a complex character and worthy of attention. He knew sultans, shahs, and emirs. He was a friend of Pushkin, but he never read him. He never read a single book in his life. When offered something to read, he says, 'Why should I read it if I have my own opinions?'"
Aivazovsky died in his sleep. The entire city came out to pay their last respects to the artist who had transformed Feodosia into a bastion of Russian culture.
