Searching for Survivors 

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky made "Searching for Survivors" with oil paints, a medium that allows for rich color and smooth gradations. Aivazovsky was a master of marine painting, and here you can see how he used the materiality of oil paint to convey the sea's shifting light and turbulent surfaces. The smooth strokes create a sense of depth and movement in the waves. Look closely, and you'll see the paint is applied in layers, building up the texture of the water, and the light that hits it. The colors range from deep blues and greens to pale yellows and whites, capturing the sea's reflective quality. Aivazovsky's paintings were immensely popular in his time, reproduced widely in prints and photographs. This speaks to the rise of a consumer culture, with paintings becoming a commodity for a growing middle class, and to his ability to convey the human drama inherent in the seascape. We are reminded of the labor and lives lost to the sea, even as we admire the skill and artistry of Aivazovsky's painting.