IVAN KONSTANTINOVICH AIVAZOVSKY | Abandoning Ship

Bukowski's, Helsinki, 30 March 1985, lot 119

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

While stormy seas, sinking ships and survivors in lifeboats are common themes in Aivazovsky’s work, the absence of horizon and sky in this painting is very unusual. The tightly cropped composition draws the viewer in and increases the drama of the scene, further enhanced by the striking reflection of light on the waves.

The unusual composition is not the result of the canvas having been cut-down at a later stage but was indeed intended by the artist. A copy of the work, painted by Mikhail Briansky in 1887, only five years after the original, was sold at Sotheby’s London in May 2004. Both its composition and dimensions are identical to the original.

The present work is included in the numbered archive of the artist's work compiled by Gianni Caffiero and Ivan Samarine.