Description of the attraction
The largest collection of paintings by I. K. Aivazovsky is in the art gallery of Feodosia. The whole life of the artist is connected with Feodosia, he spent many creative years in it and bequeathed his paintings to his native city. Now there is a museum named after him.
Marine painter I. K. Aivazovsky
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was born in 1817 year in Feodosia, in the family of the Armenian merchant Gevorg Ayvazyan. The Ayvazyans once moved here from Poland, so they wrote their surname in Polish - Gaivazovskys.
He was baptized in church of st. Sergius … This church was built in 1330, has survived to this day and is one of the attractions of Feodosia. Aivazovsky was baptized and married here, he painted this church (unfortunately, almost nothing remained of the frescoes) and here he is buried. It is decorated with stone carvings and slabs embedded in the walls with crosses carved on them - khachkars.
Since childhood, the boy loved to draw. The talent manifested itself so brightly that in 1833 he was admitted to Imperial Academy of Arts and left the Crimea to study in St. Petersburg. There he immediately began to specialize in landscape painting … He studied in the landscape class of M. Vorobyov. M. Vorobiev was not only a good artist, but also a talented teacher - at one time L. Logorio, I. Shishkin, M. Klodt and others studied with him. Since 1835, Aivazovsky has been studying with F. Tanner … He was the most famous marine painter of the time. He arrived in Russia at a personal invitation Nicholas I, in order to create a series of paintings depicting the most important military ports of the Russian Empire. The relationship between the teacher and the student did not work out and the next year a scandal erupted: Aivazovsky, instead of studying, helping and being in the shadow of the great master, presented several of his own landscapes for the exhibition. The paintings were removed by order of Nicholas I, and the artist was transferred to another class of painting.
In 1839 he received a diploma from the Academy and took a trip to Italy … Italy for Russian artists in those days was a perfect must-see. Every cultured person had to see Italian sights and paint several Italian landscapes. In those years he lived in Italy N. Gogoland they met. Aivazovsky has been traveling around Europe for four years. Fame comes to him. Critics speak positively about him, his paintings on religious themes are bought by the Pope, he receives a medal from the Paris Academy of Arts.
Upon his return, Aivazovsky becomes official state painter at the Main Naval Staff … His task is to glorify the Russian fleet and paint pictures about sea battles. However, he writes a lot on a variety of topics. In Soviet times, this was not advertised, but Aivazovsky was a believer and wrote quite a lot on biblical subjects. But for them, he chooses topics related to water. For example, this is the "Creation of the World", which describes the creation of water, or "Walking on Waters", which depicts Christ walking on the Lake of Gennesaret.
Despite the fact that he specializes in the southern seascape, he also has paintings dedicated to the Central Russian landscape, as well as portraits. He travels a lot and writes classic landmarks: the Egyptian pyramids, Niagara Falls and others. The reigning persons make orders to him - for example, the Turkish sultan orders paintings with views of Constantinople and receives them in his palace, Nicholas I buys his canvases. In total, the artist wrote more than six thousand paintings and arranged more than a hundred exhibitions, some of which were charitable. In 1877, an exhibition of his paintings was held in the capitals and the Crimea in favor of the needy participants in the Russian-Turkish war, then there were exhibitions in favor of the Red Cross, etc.
Aivazovsky was married twice. From his first marriage, he had four daughters. But they parted with his wife - she wanted a secular metropolitan life, and Aivazovsky was completely satisfied with Feodosius.
His second wife was a young Armenian Anna Burnazyan, the widow of the Feodosia merchant. She was beautiful. The artist, who was forty years older than her, was constantly jealous. She survived it for a very long time and died already during the Great Patriotic War during the occupation.
Aivazovsky in Crimea
Despite travels, voyages on business and trips to the capital, the artist considers Feodosia his home and returns here at every opportunity. He builds his own house, buys estates in Sudak and near Feodosia. The artist is rich and famous, he donates a lot for the improvement of the city. With his participation, a library is opened here, a concert hall is being built.
Aivazovsky is included in Odessa Society of History and Antiquities - a society that is engaged in the study of the ancient Crimea and excavations. The second half of the 19th century is the time of active excavations on the territory of the entire peninsula; Aivazovsky takes part in this work. It was on his initiative that excavations began in his city in 1853. In Feodosia since 1811 there has been museum of antiquities … Aivazovsky designs for him a new building in the form of an antique temple on a mountain above the city. It was built in 1871 at his own expense. In 1941 the building was lost.
The artist tries to preserve the memory of people who are significant to him. For example, according to his project, a fountain appears in Feodosia in memory of the former mayor of the city. A. Kaznacheeva … It was Kaznacheev who first noticed the young talent and contributed to his training. The artist was grateful to him all his life.
In addition to the museum, thanks to the efforts of Aivazovsky, a memorial appears in honor of General P. Kotlyarevsky, the hero of the Russian-Persian wars. The wounded general lived out his life in Feodosia, where he met the artist's family.
Ivan Konstantinovich actively invests not only in the cultural development of the city. The military and sailors listen to him - and it is at his insistence that the Trading port … It becomes the largest on the peninsula. On his own initiative, to Dzhankoy is laid Railway - it was in 1892.
From a source in his estate, he conducts a water supply to Feodosia and arranges public fountain … Now we know it as the Aivazovsky fountain, it still operates.
Feodosia Picture Gallery
The year of creation of the gallery is considered 1880 year … Aivazovsky does a lot to develop painting and support young artists. First, he opens an art workshop, then he arranges an exhibition hall at his house - since 1845, an exhibition of 49 paintings has been available for viewing at his house. But in 1880 he added to the house separate wing for gallery.
Aivazovsky bequeaths his paintings to his hometown … The museum stops working only for a few years after the revolution, when the Feodosia Chekists are housed in the house. But already in 1922 the building was repaired, put in order, and a museum was reopened in it. Museum employees collect numerous cultural values left after the revolution in Crimea. A separate exposition is created here, consisting of them.
A monument to the great artist is erected in front of the gallery. The author of the monument was the sculptor I. Gintsburg.
The collection of paintings was not damaged during the war. They all managed to be evacuated, first to Krasnodar, and then to Yerevan.
Now the museum exposition includes two buildings: Aivazovsky's house and his sister's house … The first exhibits paintings by the artist himself, the second contains an exhibition of Crimean marine painters of his school. it romantic painting, glorifying the beauty of the Crimean nature and distinguished by a special emotional mood. To her, besides Aivazovsky himself, can be attributed to L. Lagorio, K. Bogaevsky and others.
The exhibition includes not only paintings, but also those left over from Aivazovsky and replenished in 1920 collection of decorative and applied art.
There is a unique exhibition of one painting here. it the most mysterious painting by I. Aivazovsky - "On the death of Alexander III" … The emperor died in 1894 in the Crimea, in the Livadia Palace. And Aivazovsky begins to paint a picture dedicated to his memory. The painting is a reflection of some kind of vision of the artist, it is not realistic and partly resembles his biblical painting. In the center is the silhouette of the Peter and Paul Fortress, and in the foreground is a leaning black figure. It is impossible even to understand whether it is a man or a woman, so they see in her either the grieving Empress Maria Feodorovna, or the heir of Alexander - Nicholas II, and they believe that the picture predicts his tragic fate. From a certain angle, this face becomes masculine and illuminates with an ominous smile - people guess in it the portraits of various terrorists of that time.
One way or another, Aivazovsky himself never exhibited this picture - it turned out to be too strange and unlike his other works. For a long time it was simply kept in the storerooms of the museum, and began exhibiting since 2000. The exhibition specifically supports the mystery of the picture: it is in the twilight, there are no windows in this room, so that in combination with the story, the canvas makes a strong emotional impression. You can get here only with an excursion group.
Interesting Facts
Aivazovsky's two grandchildren, the sons of his youngest daughter Zhanna, followed in the footsteps of their grandfather and became artists. Their works can also be seen in the museum.
Aivazovsky's last exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery in 2016 became the most visited exhibition in the history of the museum.
It is Aivazovsky's paintings that are most often stolen - they are recognizable, there are many of them, and the robbers are hoping for a profitable sale.
On a note
- Location: Feodosia, st. Gallery, 2.
- How to get there: by fixed-route taxis № 1, 2, 5, 6, 106 to the stop "Gallery".
- Official website:
- Working hours: from 10:00 to 17:00 daily, Tuesday 10:00 to 14:00, Wednesday - day off.
- Cost: adult - 200 rubles, school - 150 rubles.
