Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky

a merchant of Armenian origin in the town of Feodosia,

Crimea.

Aivazovsky in front of it.
The world known marine painter Ivan

Konstantinovich Aivazovsky exhibited his paintings in Rome, Paris, London and Amsterdam, but the largest collection of paintings and graphic works by Aivazovsky is in Feodosia gallery.

Petersburg and studied landscape painting. Aivazovsky's talent developed rapidly and

he was quite successful at the Academy.
In 1840 he went abroad, returning only in 1844. In the 1840s during his stay in Italy Aivazovsky's painting gained its own individual style, and by 1850 his art was fully mature.

storm. The first rays of sunlight shine on the huge

waves, and the largest of these, the ninth wave, seems as if it will consume the people attempting to save themselves on the ruined mast.

Their ship has wrecked and many of their mates have perished. The people know that they will not be able to swim out of this, that they face a certain death, yet they clutch the sinking mast and fight for their lives.

When I imagine myself in the position of those sailors I feel two things, both despair and desire for life.

The painter used warm tones (the sea does not seem so gloomy) and for this reason we are attracted by an illusory hope that the people will be saved.

But we realize this is impossible. We understand the horror of the storm but our feelings are won over by its beauty.

Consume-поглощать
Mast-мачта
Perish-погибать
Clutch-схватить
Win over-расположить к себе
Acclaim-провозглашать

all his life and received in his lifetime all the

signs of official recognition which he deserved; his talent was universally acclaimed.
Aivazovsky died on 19 April (2 May New Style) 1900, the leaving unfinished a picture he had begun that same day…