Caucasus Mountains from the Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky was created in 1899 and is in The Aivazovsky National Art Gallery. The size of the work is 59 x 94 cm and is made of oil on canvas.
About the Work
Ivan Aivazovsky more than once epitomised the theme of the Caucasus in his paintings. He first saw the sea coast near the Caucasus in 1839, when he was asked to take part in a landing operation in that region. From that trip, the young painter brought a few compositions from which Aivazovsky’s fondness of battle paintings began. During his expedition he came to know many outstanding Russian naval commanders who supported the painter and sought to provide him with everything needed for his fruitful work. Back then Aivazovsky was fascinated by the grandeur of nature in the Caucasus. He collected material for many of his pictures which he then painted during his life.
The painter made his next trip to the Caucasus and its Southern part in 1868. He managed to visit Ossetia, Dagestan, Georgia and Armenia and create a multitude of remarkable mountain landscapes, which are distinguished by live perception of nature and attention to the area around. Aivazovsky was especially interested in the story of imam Shamil’s defeat, when Russian soldiers hardly managed to capture him in 1859. Local nature excited the painter’s imagination with its austerity and primevalness. The I.K. Aivazovsky Feodosia Art Gallery displays an album of small and cursory pencil drawings, which the painter made during his travel. Read more in The Aivazovsky National Art Gallery
