Ivan Aivazovsky – an Artist and a Citizen
Alexander Ziuzin
If you were lucky to visit Feodosia, a small town in Crimea, in the center of town you would see a big beautiful house and a line of people, willing to get in. This house is a museum of a great Russian artist Ivan Ivazovsky, who in my opinion, stands out from other artists.
Ivan was born in Feodosia in a poor Armenian family. His first artwork was made on the walls of his father’s home when he was a child. Ivan’s talent was noticed by the town’s teacher of drawing and he started to learn young Aivazovsky. When Ivan was 13 years old, he enrolled in the Art Academy in St. Petersburg and graduated from Academy when he was 20.
Aivazovsky is known because of his ability to work very fast. For example, on time his friend, a teacher of painting, invited Ivan to his class and asked him to students how to paint a sea. Ivan spent only one and half hours creating a completed masterpiece during the lesson. A sea was a main subject of Ivan’s painting. His mastery of depicting the sea in various states, from completely calm to terrible storm is amazing and unique. If you have ever seen Aivazovsky’s works you can easily distinguish them from other artists’ paintings by the manner of depicting waves and the special light. By the end of his life, Aivazovsky had created over 6000 works of art.
Another thing that differs Aivazovsky from other artists s that he was rich and used his money to contribute to his hometown Feodosia. For example, he founded a school of arts, participated in building a water supply system or Feodocia and even sponsored building the local railway, connecting Feodosia with other railways of Russian Imperia. It helped to the development of local businesses and gave jobs to many people.
Ivan Aivazovsky’s biography teaches us that passion and dedication can overcome time to touch human soul. His life demonstrates the importance of philanthropy and using talent and resources for creating good. For me, Ivan Aivazovsky’s life is a great example of what can be achieved when talent, hard work, and desire to help people are put together.