Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky was a Russian romantic painter who specialized in depicting seascapes and naval battles. He was also a collector and patron of the arts. His works can be found in many museums and art galleries around the world. Ivan Aivazovsky served as a painter at the Main Naval Staff and was an honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, as well as the academies in Amsterdam, Rome, Paris, Florence, and Stuttgart.

Most of the artist’s works are now kept in the collections of the State Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, and in his hometown of Feodosia, where he founded and established an art gallery.

Over time, the Pskov Museum has received ten paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky. Some of them were transferred from the Pskov-Pechory Monastery, where they had been collected by its abbot, Archimandrite Alipius (secular name Ivan Mikhailovich Voronov). These include “Surf on the Rocky Shore” (1889) and “Before the Storm” (1893). Other paintings were donated by the School of Art and Industry named after Nikolay Fyodorovich Van der Vliet, including “Calm Sea” (1881) and “Tempest” (1870). “Moonlit Night in the Crimea” (1876) and “Sunset in Monaco” (the 1870s) were transferred from the Pskov Archeology Society. The museum also houses “The Battle of Navarino” (1887) and “Jesus Walks on Water” (1863) from former noble estates in Pskov Governorate and “Surf” (1897) from the State Russian Museum.

The works are united by a common theme but differ in design. Although the studies are small, they depict vivid, scenic landscapes and, as such are miniature artworks of their own.

One of the most prominent works in the Pskov collection of paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky is “Surf” (1897) which has long taken pride of place in the museum’s exhibition. It is one of the last paintings created by the master.

In the 1920s, the painting was donated to the State Russian Museum, which had a large collection of works by Ivan Aivazovsky — around 50 paintings. Soon after, “Surf” was transferred to Pskov.