For the first time, Ivan Aivazovsky saw Constantinople in the spring of 1845, when he sailed for the Greek Archipelago islands with Admiral Litke. During this expedition, the artist saw Rhodes and Smyrna and visited the ancient Troy ruins and many other islands of the archipelago. Aivazovsky returned from the trip with a series of drawings that served as a basis for many outstanding paintings. While the artist always worked in his workshop, he was very skilled in plein air painting and sketched everything that attracted his attention. He wrote: ‘My voyage with His Imperial Highness Konstantin Nikolayevich was extremely pleasant and interesting; everywhere I had a chance to make sketches, especially in Constantinople that I admired. Probably, nothing is as magnificent as this city; one forgets both Naples and Venice there’.
The Moonlit night by the sea depicts some buildings of Constantinople and the dark arches of a viaduct that are drowning in the golden moon light. The picture is infused with lyrics and has a romantic spirit. The mysterious East is a favorite subject of romantic painters. But the amazing beauty of the moonlit night is not the only thing that attracts people’s attention to the painting. The story of the picture is also very interesting. In 1847, Aivazovsky gave the painting as a gift to Natalya Nikolaevna, Alexander Pushkin’s widow. The artist thus wanted to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the poet’s death.
Pushkin’s subject was very popular in Aivazovsky’s work. As a young man, he was introduced to the poet when Pushkin attended an exhibition at the Academy of Arts in 1836. There was no other painter as close and consistent with Pushkin’s writings in the history of Russian art. They were united by their interest in the sea and Crimean nature. Many paintings by Aivazovsky are dedicated to Pushkin. Recalling the meeting with the poet the artist wrote: ‘Since then, the poet, whom I already loved, has become the subject of my thoughts, inspiration, and long conversations and questions about him’. It is known that Pushkin was also highly complimentary about the young painter’s work. The precise location of the Moonlit night by the sea. Constantinople remained unknown for a long time. It was transferred to the Feodosia Art Gallery from a private collection quite recently.
The Moonlit night by the sea depicts some buildings of Constantinople and the dark arches of a viaduct that are drowning in the golden moon light. The picture is infused with lyrics and has a romantic spirit. The mysterious East is a favorite subject of romantic painters. But the amazing beauty of the moonlit night is not the only thing that attracts people’s attention to the painting. The story of the picture is also very interesting. In 1847, Aivazovsky gave the painting as a gift to Natalya Nikolaevna, Alexander Pushkin’s widow. The artist thus wanted to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the poet’s death.
Pushkin’s subject was very popular in Aivazovsky’s work. As a young man, he was introduced to the poet when Pushkin attended an exhibition at the Academy of Arts in 1836. There was no other painter as close and consistent with Pushkin’s writings in the history of Russian art. They were united by their interest in the sea and Crimean nature. Many paintings by Aivazovsky are dedicated to Pushkin. Recalling the meeting with the poet the artist wrote: ‘Since then, the poet, whom I already loved, has become the subject of my thoughts, inspiration, and long conversations and questions about him’. It is known that Pushkin was also highly complimentary about the young painter’s work. The precise location of the Moonlit night by the sea. Constantinople remained unknown for a long time. It was transferred to the Feodosia Art Gallery from a private collection quite recently.
