Surf near coast of Crimea 1880

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky painted this view of the Surf near the coast of Crimea, using oils. His dramatic seascapes were immensely popular across 19th century Russia, not least because they resonated so strongly with the Czarist Imperial project. The Crimean peninsula, the subject of this painting, had only recently become part of the Russian Empire, annexed by Catherine the Great in 1783. The naval power of Russia in the Black Sea was thus of great strategic importance and artists such as Aivazovsky played a role in mythologizing both the sea and the ambitions of the state. The Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg played a central role in training artists to represent these imperial aims. To understand better the cultural work that this painting performed, we might look at publications such as "The Naval Chronicle" or the writings of the period's military leaders.