Art Insights — Winter Landscape by Ivan Aivazovsky

“I would rather spend a day in the south of Italy than a month in the north”.

The Crimea-born Russian painter was never enthusiastic about the travels and life in the northern corners of the Russian Empire. Especially, during his studies at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. Aivazovsky arrived at the Russian capital in 1833 and lived there for four years until his graduation in 1837.

During his studies, Aivazovsky often felt sadness about the grey and cold climate of Saint Petersburg. Born in the coastal Feodosia, the talented painter tried to use every opportunity to return to his hometown, and later in his life, Aivazovsky settled there.

Winter landscape (1876). Oil on panel.

In 1836, the young painter had a memorable meeting with the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who visited the Imperial Academy of Arts together with his wife. Aivazovsky was only 19 years old, but he already earned recognition amongst Saint Peterburg’s artist circles. Many years later, Aivazovsky remembered their conversation: “When Pushkin found out that I was born in Crimea, he asked the city I come from and whether my health is in a good state living in the north”. His health often suffered from the cold weather, and the young painter felt fatigued.

Aivazovsky was a hard-working artist who produced thousands of artworks during his lifetime. He always remained loyal to the ideals of the Romanticism period, and nature played a great role in his artworks. Many might associate his name strictly with the marine paintings, amazing seascapes, such as the Stormy sea at night, The Black Sea at night, Wave, and other works, inspired by Aivazovsky’s hometown and his numerous travels abroad.

The famous painter was also enthusiastic about the depiction of the landscapes and architectural objects he saw during his travels. Aivazovsky had a phenomenal memory and worked on his paintings in the studio. To depict a detailed scene it was enough to memorize it and draw a little sketch.

Despite the fact that Aivazovsky had zero sympathies towards the cold climate, some of his works featured winter landscapes. This painting was done in 1876 and there have been speculations about the silhouettes depicted in this artwork. There was a version that those figures are mourning the death of Emperor Alexander II. However, this version does not seem right, since the assassination of the Russian Emperor happened five years later.

With the selection of colors, Aivazovsky managed to convey the beauty of early Russian winter. You can see that snow covers only trees, while the road still awaits the first major snowfall. His great eye for detail creates a fairy tale scenery around the mysterious figures. The fact that the painter did not give the slightest hint to the viewer about the people depicted in this painting, leaves a space for the imagination. Is the mood of those figures truly sad, as the black color might suggest? Or it is simply the color of the everyday clothing they had in the 19th-century? Who knows.

In 2008, Winter Landscape was sold at the auction in Sothebys. It was sold for £553 000 to a private collection. It remains a great example of the versatility of motifs Aivazovsky displayed in his artworks. You can feel the warm notes of his admiration towards Russian nature — even one of its faces he never truly enjoyed. This painting carries a true spirit of the Romanticism period.

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