The Brig Mercury
The Brig Mercury, after defeating two Turkish ships, meets with the Russian Squadron c1848 by Russian Painter Ivan Aivazovsky (1817 – 1900); a Romantic painter considered to be one of the greatest masters of marine art.
The Brig Mercury was an Imperial Russian Navy 18-Gun two-masted warship; that is famous for its battle with two Turkish ships on May 14, 1829.
The Mercury was pursued by a Turkish fleet of 6 ships of the line, 2 frigates and 2 corvettes; and in engaged with the ships-of-the-line the 110-gun Selimiye and the 74-gun Real-bei near the Strait of Bosphorus, also known as the Strait of Istanbul.
After inflicting damage on each of these ships the Mercury was able to escape its pursuers and meet up with the Russian Squadron.
This painting shows the Brig Mercury on a calm wide open seas with her tattered sails on her way to meet up wit the Russian Squadron, that can be seen in the far distance under a full moon lit white cloud filled sky.
Dit is in retouchearre reproduksje fan âlde masters fan digitale keunst fan in ôfbylding yn it iepenbier domein.
Info hjirûnder ôflaat fan Wikipedia.org
Ivan (baptized Hovhannes Aivazian) is considered to be one of the worlds greatest masters of marine art, and was born into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia in Crimea to Armenian Merchant Gevorg and his wife Ripsime Aivazian in 1817.
He had three sisters and an older brother Gabriel who was an Armenian Apostolic Archbishop and historian. Ivan received is early education at the Feodosia’s St. Sargis Armenian Church and was taught drawing by a local architect named Jacob Koch.
Yn 1833 Ivan ferhuze nei Sint-Petersburch de Russyske haadstêd om te studearjen oan de Russyske Keizerlike Akademy fan Keunsten ûnder de ynstruksje fan de Russyske lânskipsskilder Maxim Vorobiev (1787 – 1855).
Tidens syn stúdzje oan de Russyske Keizerlike Akademy foar Keunsten stie er bekend as Ivan Gaivazovsky, dan letter yn Itaalje út 1840 foarút waard hy bekend as Aivazovsky.
Yn 1835 hy krige in sulveren medalje en beneamd ta de funksje fan assistint fan de Frânske skilder en litograaf Philippe Tanneur (1795 – 1878).
Yn 1837 hy kaam by de slachskilderklasse fan de Baltyske Dútske skilder Alexander Sauerweid (1783 – 1844) en die mei oan oefeningen foar de Baltyske Fleet yn 'e Golf fan Finlân.
Datselde jier studearre hy twa jier earder as ferwachte mei in gouden medalje en gie werom nei Feodosia yn 1838 en brocht twa jier troch yn syn bertelân de Krim, yn hokker tiid yn 1839 he took part in military exercises in the shores of Crimea where he met Russian Admirals Mikhail Lazarev (1788 – 1851), Pavel Nakhimov (1802 – 1855) and Vladimir Kornilov (1806 – 1854).
Dan yn 1840 Ivan was sent by the Russian Imperial Academy of Arts to study in Europe; where he first traveled to Venice, Italy by way of Berlin, Germany and visited San Lazzaro degli Armeni, a small island in the Venetian Lagoon where an important Armenian Catholic congregation was located and his brother Gabriel lived at the time.
After studying Armenian manuscripts and becoming familiar with Armenian art, he then journeyed to Florence, Amalfi, Sorrento; en fan 1840 nei 1842 remained in Naples and Rome, where he was heavily influenced by Italian Art.
During this time he had a number of successful exhibitions in Italy, with the news reaching Russia; and Pope Gregory XVI awarded him a golden medal. He then traveled to Switzerland, Dútslân, the Netherlands and Britain; and in France, received a gold medal from the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.