Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky

Russian painter Realist

Pintor Realista Ruso

El pintor ruso de ascendencia armenia, la más famosa de sus marinas, que constituyen más de la mitad de sus pinturas. Nació en la ciudad de Feodosiya, Crimea, en una familia armenia pobre. Su apellido de padres era Aivazian. Algunas pinturas del artista llevan una firma, en cartas armenias, "Hovhannes Aivazian".

Se graduó con la medalla de oro de la Academia de San Petersburgo del Arte. Ganando premios por sus paisajes tempranos y marinos, continuó al pintar una serie de retratos de ciudades costeras de Crimea antes de viajar por todas partes de Europa. En la vida posterior, sus pinturas de escenas navales le ganaron una comisión existente desde hace mucho tiempo de la Marina rusa.

En 1845, Aivazovsky fue a Estambul por la invitación de Sultan Abdülmecid, una ciudad que viajaria  ocho veces entre 1845-1890. Durante su estancia larga en Estambul, Aivazovsky fue encargado para varias pinturas como un pintor del tribunal por los sultanes del Otomano Abdülmecid, Abdulaziz y Abdulhamid, 30 de los cuales están actualmente en la pantalla en el Palacio imperial del Otomano, el Museo Dolmabahce y muchos otros en varios otros museos en Turquía.

La casa de Aivazovsky en Theodosia se hizo un lugar para la peregrinación artística. Los artistas armenios  y actores y los músicos trabajaron allí. Precisamente allí los artistas como Bashinjagyan, Sureniants, Makhokhian y Shabanian comenzaron su vida creativa. El sueño de Aivazovsky debía crear una unión de artistas armenios de todo el mundo.

Durante su período mas largo de la vida creativa, y sobre todo después de 1868, Aivazovsky ejecutó decenas de lonas con temas armenios. Sus paisajes que representan la vida en Tbilisi, Lago Sevan y Monte Ararat popularizaron el género en el arte armenio. También tenía una serie de trabajos con temas de la Biblia y de la historia armenia antigua.

Debido a su larga vida en el arte, Aivazovsky se hizo el pintor ruso más prolífico de su tiempo. También se dice que es el más forjado de todos los pintores rusos. Dejó más de 6,000 trabajos a su muerte en 1900. Con fondos ganados durante su carrera como artista abrió una escuela de arte y galería en su ciudad natal de Feodosiya.

Russian painter of Armenian descent, most famous for his seascapes, which constitute more than half of his paintings. He was born in the town of Feodosiya, Crimea, to a poor Armenian family. His parents family name was Aivazian. Some of artist's paintings bear a signature, in Armenian letters, "Hovhannes Aivazian".

He graduated with the gold medal from the St. Petersburg Academy of Art. Earning awards for his early landscapes and seascapes, he went on to paint a series of portraits of Crimean coastal towns before traveling throughout Europe. In later life, his paintings of naval scenes earned him a longstanding commission from the Russian Navy.

In 1845, Aivazovsky went to Istanbul upon the invitation of Sultan Abdülmecid, a city he was to travel to eight times between 1845-1890. During his long sojourn in Istanbul, Aivazovsky was commissioned for a number of paintings as a court painter by the Ottoman Sultans Abdülmecid, Abdulaziz and Abdulhamid, 30 of which are currently on display in the Ottoman Imperial Palace, the Dolmabahce Museum and many others at various other museums in Turkey.

Aivazovsky's house in Theodosia became a place for artistic pilgrimage. Armenian artists were invited there and actors and musicians performed there. It was there that artists like Bashinjagyan, Sureniants, Makhokhian and Shabanian started their creative life. Aivazovsky's dream was to create a union of Armenian artists from all over the world.

During his long period of creative life, and especially after 1868, Aivazovsky executed tens of canvases with Armenian themes. His landscapes depicting life in Tbilisi, Lake Sevan and Mount Ararat popularised the genre in Armenian art. He also had a series of works with themes from the bible and from ancient Armenian history.

Due to his long life in art, Aivazovsky became the most prolific Russian painter of his time. He is also said to be the most forged of all Russian painters. He left over 6,000 works at his death in 1900. With funds earned during his successful career as an artist he opened an art school and gallery in his home town of Feodosiya.