Sheep

Ivan Aivazovsky is well-known as a seascape and battle painter, though he also paid attention to scenery and daily life in his art. One of his favorite subjects is flocks of sheep. Once an entire flock was driven to the sea by a windstorm and killed at his Sheikh-Mamai mansion. The artist saw it himself.

Sheep feels calm and peaceful. The artist shows a glen with an endless flock stretching to the horizon and a herdsman in the shadow of a spreading tree. Aivazovsky was one of the first artists who started featuring Steppe scenery. 

The whole impression of the painting is defined by the sunset and the earth warmed by the sun during the day. A special technique of Aivazovsky is noticeable in the evening sun—the image of the dazzling limb (the sun's rim) isn’t clean-cut, it’s hidden by a light haze and looks like a shining blot with blurred edges.

We present today's work thanks to the Omsk Regional Museum of the Fine Arts.

P.S. Ivan Aivazovsky was a true seascape master. He painted sunsets and sunrises over the sea, storms, calm, shipwrecks, sea battles, and even a worldwide flood! Check it out here!