Ivan Aivazovsky was the first painter of the Russian Navy and a full member of the Russian Geographical Society. His works can be regarded as a chronicle of the Russian Navy, whose feats the artist glorified throughout his life. He participated in the maneuvers of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets and was close with many outstanding naval commanders, whose portraits could also be found in the Feodosia Art Gallery collection.

Aivazovsky travelled quite a lot throughout his life. He had an opportunity to attend the opening ceremony of the Suez Canal and commemorative events in America, where the artist was truly impressed by Niagara Falls that he painted as soon as he returned from his trip in 1893. He loved the Italian coast and knew his country history. But he did not ever manage to visit cold latitudes. However, in 1870 Aivazovsky painted the Ice mountains to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica. This is one of the few cold northern landscapes painted by the artist from imagination. We can see brilliant tall icebergs that resemble a medieval fortress. Among the ice there is a Russian ship, Vostok. The picture is painted in cold colours.

The continent was discovered by the Russian expedition headed by Fabian von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev in 1820. They were the first to confirm the existence of Antarctica that previously had been considered as a hypothesis. They travelled on wooden ships covered with metal sheets. It was an extremely dangerous expedition. Aivazovsky knew Lazarev personally. In 1839, the artist participated as a painter in a landing operation on the Caucasus coast and became friends with the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. One can see the great naval commander’s figure in some of his paintings. Subsequently, Aivazovsky gave the Ice mountains as a gift to the archaeological museum that he had constructed in Feodosia.