Венеция

1840

Meeting Gogol in Venice

On the way to Rome Aivazovsky stops in Venice and meets Nikolai Gogol there.

1840

Setting out for Italy with Sternberg

In July 1840 Aivazovsky and his landscape-class fellow Vasily Sternberg set out for Rome; the Academy sends him to study in Europe, by way of Berlin and Vienna to Venice, then Florence, Amalfi and Sorrento.

1840–1842

Naples, Rome, Sorrento: method and fame

Aivazovsky works for long stretches in southern Italy, above all in Sorrento, and develops his method: he works outdoors only briefly and reconstructs the landscape in the studio, leaving wide room for improvisation. He succeeds both with critics — William Turner speaks highly of his works — and with buyers.

1841–1842

Exhibitions in Rome, Naples and Venice

His solo exhibitions in Rome, Naples and Venice are among the most notable of his career; news of the success reaches Russia as well.

1842–1843

The Louvre: the only representative of Russia

After travelling through Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain, Aivazovsky takes part in an international exhibition at the Louvre as the only representative from Russia; in France he receives a gold medal from the Academy, and in 1843 a show of his work is held in Paris.

1844

Painter of the Main Naval Staff

In October 1844 Aivazovsky becomes painter of Russia's Main Naval Staff, with the right to wear a naval uniform; in 1845 he is named an academician and from 1847 a professor of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts.