Coastal shore scene with figures heading in boats toward a sailing ship, luminous sky, cliffs in the distance. Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left 1856. Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovksy was a Russian painter of Armenian descent living and working in Crimea, most famous for his seascapes and coastal scenes, which constitute more than half of his paintings. His technique and imagination in depicting the shimmering play of light on the waves is especially admired, and gives his seascapes a romantic yet realistic quality that echoes the work of English watercolorist J. M. W. Turner and Russian painter Sylvester Shchedrin. Especially effective is his ability to depict diffuse sunlight and moonlight, sometimes coming from behind clouds, sometimes coming through a fog, with almost transparent layers of paint. Alvazovsky also painted landscapes, including scenes of peasant life in Ukraine and city life in Constantinople. Ivan Aivazovsky became the most prolific Russian Armenian painter of his time. He left over 6,000 works at his death in 1900. The funds earned during his successful career as an artist enabled him to open an art school and gallery in his hometown of Feodosiya. Overall Size: 20 x 30 in. Size: 13 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. #3355