Aivazovsky’s painting "Chaos. Creation of the World" causes a genuine storm of emotions, because each time you look at this handwritten work, you find in it more and more new and unexpected details. In this article we will determine the meaning of the famous painting, and also share the facts that will reveal the secret of Ivan Aivazovsky when writing a masterpiece.
Artist Biography
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky - an outstanding Russian marine painter. Born in Feodosia in 1817 (July 17). He became famous thanks to his accurate and unusual paintings, where in most cases he depicted a seascape.
From early childhood, Ivan Aivazovsky showed interest in drawing, but since his family lived quite poorly and could not afford to purchase large quantities of paper, the boy had to paint on the walls with coal. Love for creativity helped little Ivan. Once Aivazovsky erected on the wall the image of a huge soldier who was spotted by the mayor. The latter, instead of punishment, allowed Ivan to enter the service of the chief architect and learn art from him. This chance was able to unleash the potential of an outstanding creator, show his best side and pave the way to the world of art.
Famous paintings
Aivazovsky’s painting "Chaos. Creation of the World" is not the only one that has been recognized as a world masterpiece and has been preserved to this day. So, the most famous works of Russian talent were "American Ships at Gibraltar", "Sea Shore", "Storm" in several variations, "Bay on a Moonlit Night", "On the High Seas" and "View of Vesuvius". This is named only a small part of the popular paintings of the famous marine painter. In total, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky has more than 6,000 paintings - these are only those that the artist released.
Interesting facts about the marine painter
- Ivan Aivazovsky has another no less famous name - Hovhannes Aivazyan.
- A marine painter has never painted draft versions. All his paintings went through a full-fledged stage, starting from sketches, ending with the final touches. In addition, each work was written in white. For this reason, many of the artist’s paintings are a bit contradictory, and the marine painter himself often rewrote the images anew, creating entire cycles.
- Paintings by famous artists can be found in museums around the world. To visit the exhibition and look at the masterpieces, you will have to pay from 500 to 3000 rubles.
- Each Aivazovsky’s work is filled with riddles and secrets that researchers are trying to solve.
- The artist traveled a lot, so in his paintings the coasts and towns of Italy, Russia, Turkey are displayed.
- All works of talent are so detailed that they strike the human eye. Whether it was a simple wave or a huge ship, Aivazovsky skillfully conveyed the character of objects.
world creation
Aivazovsky’s Chaos was painted in 1841 and was immediately named the best and most significant work on biblical themes. She was praised by Pope Gregory XVI, who awarded the marine painter a gold medal and the honorary title of an artist. Initially, there was Aivazovsky's painting “Chaos” in the Vatican, but today the famous work can be seen in the Venetian museum located on the island of St. Lazarus.
The scandal around the masterpiece
After completing the work, Ivan Aivazovsky presented the painting to the Pope. She amazed him so much that Gregory XVI presented her as a significant exhibit at the Vatican Museum. The biblical leitmotif made the picture profound and mysterious, but the Roman cardinals did not agree with the Italian pontiff.
Initially, it was believed that Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. Creation of the World" reflected the devilish power, which manifests itself in the form of thick darkness and clouds. The noise around the image of the marine painter rose such that the Vatican had to gather special advice that would compare all the scriptures and confirm the presence of demonism in the work. However, the cardinals did not receive the expected decision, and the called-out council recognized the picture of the Russian artist as clean and bright.
What is pictured?
In Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos" the boundless raging sea during a storm is displayed. With the naked eye you can see how at the very top of the picture a bright image is depicted, reminiscent of a great creator or God. We see the darkness dissipated by light rays illuminating pitch black water and high waves. At first glance, small details are invisible, over which the artist worked so carefully. For example, realistic crests of the sea wave and fluffy clouds.
Description of the picture
Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos. Creation of the World" has become known to the world relatively recently. Art connoisseurs immediately appreciated the artist’s talent and recognized that there was a great biblical meaning in his work. The reasons why Aivazovsky often painted seascapes, but included scriptures and prophecies, are still disputed by scientists. However, the marine painter was able to give expressiveness, accuracy and mystery to his paintings.
Genesis (Old Testament, the first book of Moses) begins with the following phrases: “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was above the abyss, and the Spirit of God moved over the waters. And God said, Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light that he is good, and God separated the light from the darkness. " In his painting, Ivan Aivazovsky accurately conveyed the words from the treasured book.
We see a divine silhouette descend over the planet, illuminating the darkness with light, scattering it. Raging waves diverge and pacify their fury. Dark clouds enveloping the whole earth disappear and dissolve. A bright image hides a blue sky, which is about to fill the entire sky and forever illuminate our beautiful monastery. Aivazovsky very accurately conveyed the chaos that was happening at the time of the creation of the miracle on the planet.
The creator descends on a huge thundercloud. The light that a bright figure radiates absorbs darkness, cutting waves and calming them. The raging elements gradually calm down, and the sea slowly becomes peaceful, quiet and peaceful. It is no coincidence that Aivazovsky called his painting "Chaos", because here through unbridled forces an absolutely measured order is born, which is controlled by a great creator.
Subject of dispute
Aivazovsky's painting "Chaos" was not in vain caused a storm of emotions among cardinals. Take a look at the creation: on the horizon you can see how two cloud figures are fighting each other. In the dark abyss of a thick cloud on the left you can find a shadow that executes a human silhouette. The main cloud onto which the Creator descended resembles a demonic image soaring above a raging sea. If you look at the photo of Aivazovsky’s Chaos, you will certainly notice how you can clearly see the face on the right, looking into the distance. These shadows caused bewilderment among the Roman cardinals, because strange clouds and thunderclouds cannot have a human silhouette by pure chance. In their understanding, this meant that the marine painter sought to portray demonic creatures living in darkness.
Challenging opinions
From Pontiff Gregory XVI to contemporary critics, the description of Aivazovsky’s painting “Chaos. Creation of the World” was fiercely disputed. Following the biblical canons, you can be sure that God is the only creator who was able to create our world out of chaos - beautiful and inspiring. But the scriptures say that there is also the reverse side of kindness, where sinners dwell in the darkness dominated by the devil. Then the picture of the famous Russian marine painter reflects the essence of good and evil, order and chaos, light and all-consuming darkness.
The marinist’s beautiful creation is worth seeing at least once in order to know the being of our life. There is an opinion that a long viewing of the picture causes a disturbing sensation, which is subsequently replaced by joy and tranquility, happiness and kindness. Of course, the photo provided will not be able to replace the original work in full size, but you have the opportunity to plunge into the world today, which was given to us by the famous Russian artist Hovhannes Ayvazyan.