Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky

Ivan Aivazovsky was a Russian painter widely regarded as one of the greatest painters of the sea who ever lived. Born in 1817 in Crimea to an Armenian family, he became astonishingly prolific, producing around six thousand works over his long life. He rarely painted from direct observation, instead building his storms and calm seas from memory, which let him chase drama and light rather than strict fact.

His specialty was the glow of sunlight or moonlight through water and spray, and his shipwrecks and towering waves still stop people in their tracks. He enjoyed huge fame in his lifetime, worked for the Russian navy, and used much of his wealth to support his home city of Feodosia. His seascapes remain some of the most reproduced and beloved images in Russian art.