In the final series of posts, “brought” from a June trip to St. Petersburg, there is a photo story about the multimedia exhibition “Aivazovsky and Marine Painters. Living Canvases,” which is currently taking place in the northern capital on the territory of the creative space TKACHI (60 Obvodny Canal Embankment).
Here, in diverse projections, you can see the revived canvases of famous marine painters - Ludolf Backhuizen, Willem van de Wilde the Younger, William Turner and, of course, Ivan Aivazovsky.
Actually, I came to this exhibition almost by accident. Having asked my friends if they had brought the multimedia exhibition “Great Modernists” to St. Petersburg from Moscow, which I was actually looking forward to, I learned that there are no modernists here yet, but there are marine painters. Well, marine painters, led by Aivazovsky, this is also not bad at all.
Before entering " showroom"everyone passes through a rather large and bright space, where everything is imbued with a marine theme...
Here you could feel like a real sailor, sitting in a boat or sleeping in a hammock...
Or a marine painter creating his masterpiece, or generally having a good time...
But the main thing is to enjoy the picturesque seascapes of outstanding marine painters....
Ludolf Backhuysen (1630 - 1708) - one of the most famous marine painters in Holland.
My creative career Ludolf Backhuysen started out as a calligrapher, but later devoted himself to painting the sea and paintings on biblical themes. His paintings of the raging sea are distinguished by skillfully selected somewhat cold tones of color scheme. The artist’s contemporaries claimed that in order to see the formidable elements with his own eyes, Backhuisen was ready to make forays into the sea in any weather. The painter often put himself in the place of sailors in their struggle with the formidable nature.
Princes and nobles visited his workshop and generously paid for his work. Early works artists are valued more highly. In 1701, Ludolf Backhuysen produced a series of 10 engravings entitled "Stroom en zee gezlchten". In addition, he made models of various ship designs commissioned by Peter the Great.
Centuries later, the master’s paintings continued to be popular and were highly appreciated by Aivazovsky himself, who studied them in the halls of the Hermitage. Nowadays, the paintings of the Dutch painter can be seen in the museums of Feodosia, Berlin, Florence and in private collections in England. (Hereinafter, I use accompanying texts for the exhibition, highlighting them in italics).
Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633 - 1707) - the most famous and most talented Dutch artist from the van de Velde family.
Willem studied shipbuilding and drawing with his father Willem van de Velde the Elder, then studied painting with Simon de Vlieger. In the first half of his life, Willem van de Velde the Younger was engaged in depicting the victories of the Dutch fleet. In 1677 he entered the service of the English King Charles II. After the death of Charles II, he returned to the Netherlands for some time, but was soon again called to serve in England by King James II.
In sonorous color seascapes with a touch of solemn heroism, the artist Willem van de Velde depicted a calm or slightly rough sea with large silhouettes of ships and high sky with swirling clouds. For his works the artist was nicknamed Raphael sea painting. He painted such paintings as "Calm" (1657, National Gallery, London), "Volley of Fireworks" (1666, Art Gallery, Berlin-Dahlem), “Ship in a Storm” (1680) and others.
He had many imitators who even used his signature and monogram. Willem van de Velde the Younger left behind a huge legacy. His works are kept in the London National Gallery and private English collections, in the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, The Hague, Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Paris. The Hermitage contains three paintings by Willem van de Velde the Younger. In addition to paintings, he left many drawings, the number of which exceeds 8,000.
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 - 1851) - British painter, master romantic landscape, watercolorist and engraver.
English artist William Turner was born in 1775 in London. His father worked as a barber and ran his own barbershop, where he hung his work little son. Later, the young 15-year-old artist hung his work at the Royal Academy of Arts, and in 1802 became the youngest member of the Academy.
Turner is a landscape painter of a completely new type. His style is pure romanticism. His innovative style became evident as early as the 1800s. Romanticism both in technology and in plots. Turner's paintings most often contain movement, for example, the rough sea, ships, as well as sunrises, sunsets, fogs, smoke. He conveyed these effects with unprecedented freedom and boldness, transforming the landscape into a radiant whirlwind of colors. Constable said: “Turner exhibited his golden visions, magnificent and beautiful; even if only visions, but still this is art, next to such paintings you can live and die.”
Joseph Mallord Turner's contemporaries called him a painter of "golden visions, magnificent and beautiful, although without substance." He decided to depict the sun, sunlight and sunlight with such truth as has never been seen in painting before. He searched for a long time, but he achieved his goal and expressed on canvas what no one had actually depicted before. He intricately combined virtuoso technique and tongue-tiedness, isolation and the desire to serve people, practical intelligence and philanthropy, reverence for the pictorial traditions of the past and a tireless search for his own language. Turner left behind a huge legacy: 300 oil paintings and 19,000 drawings.
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817 - 1900) - outstanding marine painter who glorified Russian art worldwide.
Aivazovsky's youth is associated with the heyday Russian culture V early XIX century. He was born in Feodosia in the family of a bankrupt Armenian merchant. The sound of the surf, the play of sun glare on water surface, the ships in the harbor captivated the boy's imagination. He drew entire scenes with charcoal on the white walls of Crimean houses. These drawings were noticed and appreciated by the mayor of Feodosia, with the help of whom the boy entered the Simferopol gymnasium, and then in 1833 the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. From the very first days of his stay, Ivan showed himself to be a successful and promising student. The years of study were filled with tireless work, the joy of creativity, the happiness of meeting famous people. Behind final work The artist was awarded a gold medal of the first degree, which gave him the opportunity to improve his creativity abroad.
Aivazovsky discovered his method of depicting the elements from memory, limiting himself to only cursory pencil sketches. In the workshop, nothing should have prevented him from concentrating on a vivid memory. Justifying this method, the artist said: “The movements of living elements are elusive to the brush: painting lightning, a gust of wind, a splash of a wave is unthinkable from life. For this reason, the artist must remember them, and furnish his picture with these accidents, as well as the effects of light and shadows.” His phenomenal memory and romantic imagination allowed him to do this with unique brilliance. Even huge canvases were made using the improvisation method, which the artist completed in one session. Aivazovsky did not make corrections, only occasionally, when the picture was already painted, did he return to it in order to enhance the effect of a transparent wave or the depth of the sea with color or tone.
Aivazovsky used the method of improvisation throughout his sixty years of creativity. During this period, more than six thousand marinas were created. He always worked easily, quickly, artistically. I never hid my professional secrets, wrote in the presence of friends, visitors to the workshop. "With the young sparkling eyes, directed at the reviving canvas, the artist was positively impressive... from the satisfied expression on his face, one could safely say that such work is a true pleasure,” wrote one of the eyewitnesses.
Do you want to experience incredible live sea tale? Watch the ripples on the sea surface and admire the power of the waves? You don't have to pack your bags to see the endless salty waters! Visit the fascinating exhibition of living paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky at Lumiere Hall: the sea will become even closer to you.
Sea in the concrete jungle
2017 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky. In honor of this event, the exhibition “Living Canvases” presents masterpieces of the virtuoso sea paintings performed live in literally this word! The multimedia exhibition reveals the full depth and richness of the sea blue, shimmering under sun rays or raging under a soot-colored sky.
Experience a new level of animation of paintings! You can look at the artist’s canvases differently: dynamic video sequences, projectors high resolution, surround sound – amazing multifaceted fullness of each picture. Such a sight truly makes you stop in the flow of time, peering into the endless sea and listening to the sounds sea waves.
Fall in love with the sea - it's very close
Take a break from the bustle of the city to see and hear the sea without even leaving the city. Listen to the soothing sound of the waves, look at the calm sea water or the raging elements. From painting to painting, gain inner energy and calmness, because the sea is large, free, endless, which gives peace and a sense of harmony.
Visit the exhibition with your family and friends: even if one of you has never been to the sea, “Living Canvases” will make anyone fall in love with the unforgettable blue-black views of sea water. The exhibition is convenient for visiting guests of TGC “Izmailovo” (“Gamma”, “Delta”): from the hotels to the exhibition site, the journey by metro will take only half an hour.
Until December 31st, the Lumiere Hall projection museum is hosting multimedia exhibition Aivazovsky, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The exhibition is completely different from all previous projects thanks to close cooperation with the Aivazovsky Museum in Feodosia, as well as a completely new level of animation of paintings.
The exhibition features more than 200 works from museums in Russia and Armenia; the project took more than a year to prepare. Almost all the paintings are made in ps-3D format, which allows visitors to feel like they are inside them.
Dynamic video sequences, a large number of works and beautiful animation, as well as more than 30 high-resolution projectors complemented by 20 kW of surround sound will transport visitors thousands of kilometers from cultural capital to the Black Sea to the site of famous ship battles.
Operating mode:
- Sunday - Thursday from 11:00 to 23:00;
- Friday - Saturday from 11:00 to 23:00.
Ticket prices:
Weekdays/weekends:
- students, schoolchildren, pensioners, children over 3 years old - 350 rubles (weekdays) / 400 rubles (weekends);
- adults - 450 rubles (weekdays) / 500 rubles (weekends);
- family (2 adults + 1 child) - 1100 rubles (weekdays) / 1200 rubles (weekends);
- family (2 adults + 2 children) - 1300 rubles (weekdays) / 1500 rubles (weekends);
- school group ticket (6–17 years old from 15 people) + 1 free (Mon.-Fri. until 17:00) - 300 rub./person.
- group ticket for adults from 15 people (Mon. - Fri. until 17:00) - 400 rub./person.
- WWII veterans, disabled children, disabled people of the 1st group with one accompanying person, children under 3 years old - free.
You can buy tickets for the event
And painting gave a new interest in art and changed its perception. A striking example This is supported by the unique exhibition “Aivazovsky and Marine Painters. Living canvases." It did not get its name by chance. This A New Look for masterpieces talented artist, which literally come to life before the eyes of curious spectators.
Aivazovsky
Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900) is known throughout the world as an outstanding marine painter. He had Armenian origin, so his real name sounds like Hovhannes Ayvozyan. He lived a long and rich life, traveled a lot around Russia and abroad. He was especially captivated by the impressions that remained forever on the artist’s canvases.
Aivazovsky created more than a hundred paintings depicting the greatness of the sea element and the fragility of man in front of it. The artist’s creations are an invaluable contribution to the development of marine painting. There are seven known cases when from museums different countries masterpieces of the famous marine painter were stolen around the world. More than a century has passed since Aivazovsky’s death, but interest in his work continues to this day.
Art comes to life
Multimedia exhibition “Living Canvases. Aivazovsky" collected the most famous works brilliant artist, which can be seen in Russian museums. Among them are “Black Sea”, “The Ninth Wave”, “Brig “Mercury””, “Rainbow”, “ Moonlight night on the Bosphorus”, etc.
All paintings are presented not in the original, but in projections onto large screens located on the walls, floor and ceiling. 3D animations give volume to the paintings and allow exhibition visitors to feel like they are inside the painting. The canvases literally come to life before our eyes musical accompaniment: the rustle of sea waves, the splash and fury of the water element. The atmosphere is complemented by thematic decorations: boats, hammocks, nets. Thanks to all this, every visitor can feel the freshness of the sea, relax to the music of the surf, admire the power of the ocean, take part in ship battles, hear the roar of a crushing wave - the ninth wave...
Uniqueness of the exhibition
Exhibition “Living Canvases. Aivazovsky" includes educational lectures and master classes on history seascape. Also, as part of the installation, a creative workshop has been created, where each visitor can, if desired, feel like a marine painter and create his own masterpiece under the guidance of professional artists. Creative process accompanied by a live violin and the opportunity to swing in a hammock during the break. Visitors are allowed to take pictures in front of the paintings they like. For younger guests, the exhibition organizers have specially equipped a children's area. It is also filled with themed attributes and fun.
As you can see, the exhibition “Living Canvases. Aivazovsky" is aimed not only at cultural education of guests and awakening their interest in landscape painting. Use of modern multimedia technologies allows you to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, transport yourself to the shores of the sea and enjoy the majestic landscapes and violence of the elements.
Time and place
Exhibition “Living Canvases. Aivazovsky" has already toured big cities Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk from January to September 2015. But due to numerous requests from visitors, the organizers decided to make a repeat multimedia installation.
From January to April 2016, the exhibition “Aivazovsky. Living Canvases” takes place in St. Petersburg in the art space “Lumiere Hall”. The organizers took into account the wishes and feedback from the first exhibitions, and now guests will enjoy a more exciting journey into the world of painting, which can be heard and felt.
