Ivan Aivazovsky
According to Aivazovsky himself, out of 6,000 works he created, 4,000 are dedicated to storms. The artist tried to show all the power of the raging waves and their bewitching beauty.
Dedicating his work to the water, the painter showed it in a variety of moods. The method of his work was determined by his phenomenal memory and good imagination. He rarely did life drawing; he usually worked from his studio.
Storm on the Black Sea contains new features but at the same time preserves the key features of romanticism. In contrast to earlier canvases, the restrained color scheme is based on a subtly developed range of cool gray-green tones. Special virtuosity and artistry are manifested in the rhythm of the distribution of thin layers of paint, in the dynamics and shape of the stroke, in the beauty and complexity of textured solutions, and in the energy of light accents.
The painting combines much of what the artist has seen and experienced himself. He especially remembered the storm he experienced in the Bay of Biscay in 1844. The storm was so devastating that the ship was considered drowned, and the European and St. Petersburg newspapers reported the death of a young Russian painter, whose name was already well known. Years later, Aivazovsky recalled: "Fear did not suppress in me the ability to perceive and retain in my memory the impression made on me by the storm, like a marvelous living picture."
We present today's painting thanks to The Omsk Regional Museum of the Fine Arts. : )
P.S. Here you can get to know more about "the life aquatic" with Ivan Aivazovsky! :-D