Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky  July 29, 1817 – May 5, 1900) was a painter of Armenian descent living and working Crimea, most famous for his seascapes, which constitute more than half of his paintings.

Life

Aivazovsky was born in the town of Feodosiya, Crimea (Russian Empire) to a poor Armenian family. His parents family name was Aivazian. Some of artist's paintings bear a signature, in Armenian letters, "Hovhannes Aivazian". His talent as an artist earned him sponsorship and entry to the Simferopol gymnasium ?1 and later the St.Petersburg Academy of Arts, from which he graduated with the gold medal. Earning awards for his early landscapes and seascapes, he went on to paint a series of portraits of Crimean coastal towns before traveling throughout Europe. In later life, his paintings of naval scenes earned him a longstanding commission from the Russian Navy.

In 1845, Aivazovsky went to Constantinople upon the invitation of Sultan Abdülmecid, a city he was to travel to eight times between 1845-1890. During his long sojourn in Constantinople, Aivazovsky was commissioned for a number of paintings as a court painter by the Ottoman Sultans Abdülmecid, Abdulaziz and Abdulhamid, 30 of which are currently on display in the Ottoman Imperial Palace, the Dolmabahce Museum and many others at various other museums in Turkey.