Ivan Aivazovsky (1)

One of the most fascinating and richly talented artists of the past two centuries was undoubtedly the Armenian-Russian painter Ivan Aivazovsky. Ethnically an Armenian, he was born the city of Feodosiya which was then a part of the Russian Empire. Today Feodosiya is a port city in the Crimean Ukraine.

Although Aivazovsky was born in 1817 into a poor family, his father did an amazing job of providing him with a high quality education, teaching him to speak several languages fluently. The young Aivazovsky also showed extraordinary artistic potential from an early age, which proved to be his ticket to a future life of wealth and fame as one of Europe’s most brilliant artists.

Aivazovsky earned a seat in the Simferopol gymnasium No. 1. His most important training came in Russia’s St. Petersburg Academy of Arts – his raw talent was his payment for a first-class education.

This talent earned him a huge amount of work from the Russian Navy. For them he painted numerous images of the sea and ships – a commission which would keep his income flowing and earn him many important connections with powerful people.

Aivazovsky was able to travel widely in his long life of 82 years. One of the most significant locations for him would be Istanbul in modern-day Turkey. There he received a number of commissions from the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Many of his paintings are still on display today in the magnificent palaces of the former Ottoman rules.

"Stormy Sea at Night", 1849

"The Ninth Wave", 1850

Brig "Mercury" Attacked by Two Turkish Ships, 1890

In his later years, Aivazovsky established as art school in the city of his birth, Feodosiya. When he died in 1900 at age 82, he left behind an astounding 6,000 paintings. Many of these can be found throughout Europe today. Also, Aivazovsky’s works have stood the test of time. Some of his paintings have been recently sold at art auctions, commanding enormous values of $5 million to $10 million.

In 1977, an asteroid was named after him by a Soviet astronomer. Aivazovsky has been referenced in a poem by Anton Chekhov and has even had postage stamps issued in his honor in Russia, Armenia and the Ukraine. Thus, Ivan Aivazovsky is an artist who can now be considered among the “immortals.”

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