A rare winter landscape of Aivazovsky, taken from Tula, will be shown in the Russian Museum

The painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “The Storm Signal” from the collection of the Tula Museum of Fine Arts was included in the exhibition at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The exposition opened on October 16 and is timed to the 210th anniversary of the birth of the famous marine painter, told “MK in Tula” in the press service of the Tula Museum Association.

“The Storm Signal” is considered one of the most remarkable works in the collection of the Tula Museum of Fine Arts. The canvas attracts an unusual for Aivazovsky plot and a tense atmosphere of impending bad weather.

The artist painted the picture in 1851 in Feodosia, addressing one of the main themes of his work - the confrontation of man and the sea element. The cold shades emphasize the harshness of the winter landscape: the dark sky merges with the sea near the snowy shore, and the horizon line almost disappears. Winter marine species are found in the works of Aivazovsky relatively rarely.

Particular attention is drawn to the red flag on one of the three sailboats - a sign of an approaching storm. The contrast between powerful pier and fortress and fragile ships with thin masts and rays increases the sense of danger. Against the background of stone structures, sailboats seem especially defenseless against huge waves.

The work also reveals Aivazovsky’s characteristic approach to painting. The artist usually began the painting from the sky and sought to complete this part in one session, even if he worked on a large canvas. In Storm Signal, lead clouds are almost inseparable from the sea surface, creating a single disturbing space.

The painting entered the museum collection in 1919 from the estate of the Gagarin princes. During the exhibition in St. Petersburg, its place in the permanent exhibition of the Tula Museum of Fine Arts will be taken by Lev Lagorio’s “Moonlight Night in St. Petersburg” from the collection of the Russian Museum.

Earlier, “MK in Tula” reported that works from the Tula Museum Association went to the exhibition of European art in Samara. The exposition brought together 52 objects, including paintings, porcelain, bronze products and household items. The visitors were presented with works by artists from the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Poland, created in the XVII-XIX centuries.