The exhibition at the Russian Museum will be held from 22nd December, 2016 until 1st April, 2017.
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky is a world-famous Russian marine painter of the XIX century. His works are considered as real decoration of the museum collections in Russia and all over the world. The Russian Museum’s collection includes 54 works of Aivazovsky. The exposition in the Benois Wing will unite paintings from the Peterhof State Museum Reserve, Tsarskoe Selo State Museum-Preserve, St. Petersburg Central Naval Museum, St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps.
The exhibition will include about 200 pieces and a special part of it will present memorial materials, as well as photographic ones. In addition, the exhibition will be complemented with documents, diplomas, letters, navigational instruments, ship models, flags, and other objects that reflect the entourage of Aivazovsky’s creative activity on the post as the Russian Naval General Staff’s painter.
Aivazovsky enjoyed painting the sea in all its manifestations - from dead calms to the raging element. The artist did not like to draw from nature. After careful examination of the object, he used to go to the studio and only there he took up the brush. Aivazovsky said the one should not have a lot of talent to sit with a sketchbook and copy the reality. The true value of the picture is found when the author breeze in his attitude to what they see.