Yalta Coast

In the 1870s and 1880s, Aivazovsky painted several paintings with restrained colors (in contrast to earlier works with brighter colors), in which he used the finest shades of light and shade for a more natural transfer of the sea space and air movement.

Yalta Coast was painted on a clear, windless day. The city is depicted from the eastern side of the Yalta Bay. Through a light misty haze, the spurs of the Crimean Mountains, illuminated by the rays of the setting sun, are visible. Light clouds are reflected in the mirror surface of the bay, ships and boats are in the foreground, and white buildings spread out at the foot and on the slopes of the hills. By the end of the 19th century, Yalta turned from a small fishing village into a fashionable, and one of the best, European health resorts. Following the royal family, representatives of the Russian nobility rushed here. Palaces and mansions sprang up along the coast; dachas, hotels, and apartment buildings appeared.

Throughout his life, Aivazovsky painted coastal Crimean landscapes. The pearl of the Crimea, Yalta, repeatedly inspired him to create romantic marinas. The artist captured not only the external beauty of nature, but also its amazing variability, depending on the time of day, lighting, and weather.

We present today's painting thanks to the Omsk Regional Museum of the Fine Arts.  : )

P.S. Many artists painted the sea, but only Ivan Aivazovsky was completely devoted to it. Over his long life he dedicated thousands of canvases to the sea. Check them out here.