by 
Looking at the seascape depicted in the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “The Black Sea”, you involuntarily feel the touch of a strong wind, the sound of not small waves, as if you yourself are present in the picture in the middle of the turbulent boundless Black Sea.
The composition of the picture consists of two almost equal parts – a gloomy low-hanging sky and restless, almost black water. The horizon line separates these two elements, which seem to tend to merge together. The clouds, almost white and airy on the right side of the picture, turn into dark clouds on the right – a storm is approaching. The light of the sun, not yet completely covered by clouds, plays on the crests of rushing waves.
Somewhere far on the horizon, the outlines of a sailing ship can be seen – what is he doing where the storm is about to begin? Maybe he is in a hurry to go home as soon as possible, to his native harbor, where he can hide from the impending bad weather?
Waves in the picture coming from behind the horizon move inexorably towards the viewer, creating a special effect of presence. With this painting, Aivazovsky demonstrated his main talent – the ability not only to realistically show the agitated water surface, but also to show the element of water, in this case the Black Sea, a kind of living organism, with its own special rhythm and breath.
Year of painting: 1881.
Painting dimensions: no data.
Material: canvas.
Writing technique: oil.
Genre: Marina.
Style: romanticism.
Gallery: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
