Description of the attraction
The monument to the great marine painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky in Kronstadt on the Makarovskaya embankment next to the sea fortress, which covers the sea approaches to St. Petersburg, was opened on September 15, 2007. Its opening was timed to coincide with the 190th anniversary of the painter's birth. This is the first monument to Aivazovsky opened in Russia. The sculptor of the monument is Vladimir Gorevoy, State Prize Laureate, Honored Artist of Russia. The artist's sculptural gaze is directed to the sea. A new picture is about to come out from under the artist's brush, and the heroes of water battles will come to life, the sun will rise over the sea and the calm will be replaced by a storm.
The opening ceremony of the monument to the artist was attended by guests from his homeland, Feodosia, guests from St. Petersburg, the administration of the city of Kronstadt.
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is a well-known marine painter and battle painter, as well as a collector and philanthropist. Aivazovsky was born into the family of a bankrupt Armenian businessman. He spent his childhood in poverty. But the boy's talent was noticed. He studied briefly with a local architect, and then at a gymnasium in Simferopol, where he demonstrated remarkable success in drawing, thanks to which, in 1833, influential persons helped him enter the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
In 1840-1844, Aivazovsky was sent abroad as a boarder. He visited Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland and received the title of academician and became a painter of the General Naval Staff. After that, Aivazovsky received his first official order - to paint views of Kronstadt, Petersburg, Reval from the sea, the fortresses of Gangut and Sveaborg. Aivazovsky received such orders for writing views of Russian ports and coastal cities quite often. A series of similar paintings included views of Odessa, Sevastopol, Kerch, Nikolaev. In 1846, the painter built himself a new large workshop in Feodosia, where he worked most of his time.
In love with the sea, the romantic-minded artist was a master of a new type. He could reasonably dispose of his talent and enjoy the fruits of his tireless labor. Aivazovsky was the first to organize his own exhibitions in large Russian cities. His prosperity grew, while he spent a fairly large part of his funds on public needs: in 1865 he opened the first art school in Feodosia, in 1880 - an art gallery.
In 1847, Aivazovsky was awarded the title of professor of the Academy of Arts, and in 1887 he became an honorary member of the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg. In addition, he was a member of the Roman, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Florentine academies. The great success that accompanied him from the beginning of his creative activity survived him. Until now, he is a popular and beloved painter by many.
