I decided to describe this landscape, searching my albums with pictures. Actually I have many of them. My mother has shown them to me when I was a child. I still remember that moments.
Size: If we are going to speak about the size of the picture, we are to say that, from my point of view, it’s very big (149×208 sm). But, on the other hand we should point out that the prominent Russian painter, I. Aivazovsky used such a size to show us how the Black Sea is big. It’s the illustration of the sea with the help of the size of the canvas.
Shape: To mu mind the shape of the canvas suit the subject matter. It’s not only presents the sea itself, but also, as it’s very long and thin one add to the drama of the landscape. The drama is also shown because it’s the storm in the sea on the picture.
Artist’s Statement: It’s very difficult to answer this question whether Aivazovsky has achieved his aim or not to make a drawing of this landscape, but it’s clear to us that a painting is hide inside of itself the soul of an artist. Kramskoy supposed “The Black Sea” to be the best work of Aivazovsky.
Title of the Painting: The title of the painting is “The Black Sea”. It tells me, that on the picture I’ll sea the Black sea, but actually it’s not only the Black, but black by its color: there is a storm. That’s why we may say that the artist used such a title not only to paint the Black sea, or it can not be the Black sea at all, but to show us the darkness of the heavy sea.
Subject Matter: The painting is of the sea landscape in a bad weather. It’s intriguing, because there is a small fishing boat in the background which tries to come home through the environment and the question appears: Does it complete its mission? I clearly understand the symbolism in the painting as I have already mentioned above.
Emotional Response: The painting generates an emotional reaction in me: I’ve searched a picture to make an analyze and this landscape impressed me greatly by its deep and intrigue with the boat into the distance. The overall mood of the painting is mysteriousness, it seems like something will appear from the water: also there is such a sense like the storm will come to an end because the sky is started to lift in the background of canvas. Personally I think that it’s suitable for the subject.
Composition: Truly speaking there is only one element of the painting – the sea. It becomes darker and darker from the foreground up to background. The fishing boat is hardly seen on the general background. My eye flows across the whole painting. The main focus of the painting slap-bang in the center of the painting, both vertically and horizontally. There is something that draws my eye into the painting: it’s the boat, we can’t notice it at first sight. I don’t think that it’s been slavishly copied from reality or from a photograph it is the imagination of the painter, the condition of his soul, his mood and life.
Skill: The artist display the so-called “level-to-stare at”, because without this action it’s impossible to understand the idea, having seen the boat. General feelings say that Aivazovsky is the master and a very renowned and imaginative painter.
Medium: The canvas 149×208 sm, oil paints, pencils and imagination of the creator was used to create the painting. The artists has done all his best with the possibilities presented by his choice of medium.
Color: Color has been used realistically (green, black and emerald sea, white foam of water-waves and grey sky) and used to convey emotion at the same time: black sea is symbolized trouble and coming misfortune, emerald sea frightens the viewer and grey sky doesn’t give us a chance to escape from the will of the God. The colors are cool and they suit the subject.
Texture: I’d like to see the painting in “real life.”
Aivazovsky was born in the town of Feodosiya, Crimea (Russian Empire) to a poor Armenian family. His brother was the Armenian Archbishop Gabriel Aivazovsky. His family moved to the Crimea from Galicia in 1812. His parents' family name was Aivazian but in Poland it was written Haivazian. His talent as an artist earned him sponsorship and entry to the Simferopol gymnasium №1 and later the St.Petersburg Academy of Arts, which he graduated with a gold medal. Earning awards for his early landscapes and seascapes, he went on to paint a series of portraits of Crimean coastal towns before travelling throughout Europe. In later life, his paintings of naval scenes earned him a long-standing commission from the Russian Navy stationed in the Black Sea.In 1845, Aivazovsky went to İstanbul upon the invitation of Sultan Abdülmecid I, a city he was to travel to eight times between 1845–1890. During his long sojourn in İstanbul, Aivazovsky was commissioned for a number of paintings as a court painter by the Ottoman Sultans Abdülmecid, Abdulaziz and Abdulhamid. Aivazovsky was deeply affected by the Hamidian massacres of Armenians in Asia Minor in 1895, painting a number of works on the subject such as "The Expulsion of the Turkish Ship," and "The Armenian Massacres at Trevizond." He spent his last years in Feodosia where he supplied the town with water from his own estate, opened an art school, began the first archaeological excavations in the region and built a historical museum. Aivasovsky died in Feodosiya in 1900.
ReplyDeleteWhen we visited the State Tretyakov Gallery a week ago, I was really impressed by this picture!I don't understand how the artist could convey the waves soo bright and realistic!I think it's a masterpiece of Russian art!
ReplyDeleteIvan Aivazovsky is one of my favourite artist!His pictures of sea is so realistic!I saw some of his masterpieces in the Museum in Crimea.I enjoy his style of painting!
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