Aivazovsky exhibition in the Kiev art gallery Automatic translate

KIEV. September 12 at the National Museum "Kiev Art Gallery" (Kiev, st. Tereschenkovskaya, 9) the opening of the exhibition "Genius and the sea. Traditions, Searches, Discoveries ”, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of I.K. Aivazovsky.

He went down in the history of art as an unsurpassed singer of the sea. None of his contemporaries could with such power and inspiration show the greatness and beauty of the sea element. The artist was inherent in a sublime romantic worldview, due to his favorite theme - the theme of the sea. Not without reason in the popular imagination and literature the sea was identified with a sense of strength and power, freedom and infinite space, generated a thirst for struggle and devotion.

However, no less important is that it was Aivazovsky who stood at the origins of the Ukrainian landscape, one of the first to turn to the picturesque beauty of Ukrainian nature and rural life.

At the current exhibition, more than 60 paintings and drawings of the 18th-20th centuries are exhibited. from the museum’s collection, which are united by a marine theme. Also provided is a display of photographs of paintings by Aivazovsky lost by the museum during the Second World War and exhibits of the Sheremetev museum, archival materials, photographs, various items on warships of the 19th century. and personal belongings of naval officers - contemporaries of I. Aivazovsky.

Of course, the museum’s collection of Aivazovsky’s paintings, which consists of 18 paintings and drawings, is of particular interest. All of them are united by a high level of performance and give an idea of ​​the different periods of the artist’s creative activity. However, the organizers of the exhibition with a certain purpose moved away from the monographic and chronological display. In each hall, next to the works of Aivazovsky, the works of famous or little-known masters are presented, who were the predecessors, students and followers of the great master. This approach visualizes steel traditions and continuity, the searches and discoveries of marinists for two centuries.

Among the interesting examples of the early period of Aivazovsky’s work, the beautiful landscapes “View on Capri Island” (1845) and “Arba in the Field” (1848) stand out. In the romantic painting “Arba in the Field”, the artist embodies the familiar from childhood motives of his native Crimea and the steppes near Feodosia, with which the life of the painter was connected. The versatility of the artist’s talent is evidenced by work with certain features of the everyday genre and not directly related to the theme of the sea: “A scene from Cairo life. On the terrace there are houses and a general panorama of the city ”(1881),“ Acropolis of Athens ”(1887),“ Volga by the Zhiguli Mountains ”(1887),“ Crossing the Neva ”(1883). These canvases at the same time are evidence of the artist’s unshakable love for travel, without which he could not imagine his creative life.

The mature stage of Aivazovsky’s art is represented by the famous canvas “The Tempest” (1872). Designated by impressive freedom, scope and at the same time significantly more restrained by color, it testifies to the evolution of the artist’s work.

Aivazovsky’s drawings, made usually by mixed graphic techniques: “Calm” (1850), “Storm” (1850), etc., are distinguished by perfect mastery.

An innovative painting style, which was largely ahead of its time, was based on the landscape traditions of the 18th - early 19th centuries, when Aivazovsky studied at the Academy of Landscape Painting Arts and had fairly stable traditions. Presented at the exhibition are the works of artists of the 18th - early 19th centuries. vividly characterize the landscape features of that time. These include, for example, a lunar view with a romantic aftertaste of E. Novikov “On the Gulf” (1792), watercolors by the artist of the 18th century. J.-B. de la Traverse, which he performed while traveling to the Crimea.

The theme of Italy - one of the most beloved in art - brought together different artists. In the Italian landscape of Ge "Sorrento" one can feel a hereditary connection with academic romantic traditions and at the same time an independent force, its own emotional content.

Aivazovsky’s art had a huge impact on the development of marinists and Crimean themes. He created his own traditions and school. The works of contemporaries, students and followers of the artist constitute a whole era in the development of the sea landscape and Crimean landscapes. This group of works includes beautiful landscapes: L. F. Lagorio “Crimean landscape” (1886), A. P. Bogolyubov “A series on the seashore. Ai-Todor "(1870), R. Sudkovsky" Transparent Water "(1879-1885), K. F. Bogaevsky" Koktebel Coast ", magical, transparent watercolors with Crimean views of N. A. Voloshin.

This exhibition is a continuation of a good tradition - a comprehensive familiarization of visitors with the unique museum collection. The exhibition is a confirmation that true art has no barriers. Artists who turned to reproducing the unsurpassed beauty of the sea element, battles, various seas and different countries are understandable and attractive, even in our difficult times, to a wide range of viewers.