The Ninth Wave

The Ninth Wave
The Ninth Wave
Artist	Ivan Aivazovsky
Year	1850
Medium	Oil-on-canvas
Dimensions	221 cm × 332 cm (87 in × 131 in)
Location	State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg;

The Ninth Wave (Russian: Девятый вал, Dyevyatiy val) is an 1850 painting by Russian marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky. It is his best-known work.^[1]^[2]

The title refers to an old sailing expression referring to a wave of incredible size that comes after a succession of incrementally larger waves.^[3]

It depicts a sea after a night storm and people facing death attempting to save themselves by clinging to debris from a wrecked ship. The debris, in the shape of the cross, appears to be a Christian metaphor for salvation from earthly sin. The painting has warm tones, which reduce the sea's apparent menacing overtones, and a chance for the people to survive seems plausible. This painting shows both the violence and beauty of nature.^[4]

Background

Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900) was born in Feodosia, Crimea to an Armenian father.^[5]

Technique

Aivazovsky conjured the ocean's magnitude by saturating a vast canvas with color and light.^[6]

Legacy

The Ninth Wave is Aivazovsky's most famous work.^[7]

References

↑ "The Ninth Wave". Hermitage Museum. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
↑ "Aivazovsky, I. K. The Ninth Wave. 1850". Auburn University. Retrieved 10 December 2013. Detail from "The Ninth Wave" "The Ninth Wave," painted in 1850, is Aivazovsky's most famous work and is an archetypal image for the artist.
↑ Debating Globalization and the Ninth Wave at University of Indiana Framing the Global Program Debate
↑ Billington, James (2010-09-22). The Icon and Axe: An Interpretative History of Russian Culture. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-76528-4.
↑ Allen, Tom; Holding, Deirdre (2023-09-08). Armenia: with Nagorno Karabagh. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-80469-219-6.
↑ DK (2020-09-29). Oceanology: The Secrets of the Sea Revealed. Penguin. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7440-3650-3.
↑ Roorda, Eric Paul (2020-01-17). The Ocean Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-1-4780-0745-6.

External links

Media related to The Ninth Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky at Wikimedia Commons
The Ninth Wave, 1850 at the Russian State Museum

This article about a painting from the 1850s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[1] "The Ninth Wave". Hermitage Museum. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.

[2] "Aivazovsky, I. K. The Ninth Wave. 1850". Auburn University. Retrieved 10 December 2013. Detail from "The Ninth Wave" "The Ninth Wave," painted in 1850, is Aivazovsky's most famous work and is an archetypal image for the artist.

[3] Debating Globalization and the Ninth Wave at University of Indiana Framing the Global Program Debate

[4] Billington, James (2010-09-22). The Icon and Axe: An Interpretative History of Russian Culture. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-76528-4.

[5] Allen, Tom; Holding, Deirdre (2023-09-08). Armenia: with Nagorno Karabagh. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-80469-219-6.

[6] DK (2020-09-29). Oceanology: The Secrets of the Sea Revealed. Penguin. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7440-3650-3.

[7] Roorda, Eric Paul (2020-01-17). The Ocean Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-1-4780-0745-6.

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