The 9th Wave by Ivan Aivazovsky

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The canvas of “The 9th Wave” by Ivan Aivazovsky is recognized all over the world as an unsurpassed masterpiece and is one of the most famous work of this great Russian artist, who especially liked to paint on the marine theme. This painting is both an ode to the invincible and unpredictable water element and, the indestructible human spirit.

The canvas ‘The 9th Wave’ will not leave anyone indifferent, the 9th wave is a symbol of doom, the desire of survive is a symbol of hope. They create in the picture more than just a confrontation, they ask a question that the viewer has to answer.

The 9th wave is a symbol of fatal danger, the highest rise of a formidable, irresistible force. The symbol of the 9th wave comes from the old folk belief that during a sea storm the 9th wave is the strongest and most dangerous, often fatal. The term is often used in a figurative and metaphorical sense.

The artist painted “The 9th Wave” in 1850 in Feodosia and this canvas is perhaps the most outstanding work of art of the marine painter and of all Russian painting. It was painted in oil on canvas and measure 221 X 332cm. It was painted in only 11 days and was immediately bought by Nicholas I for the Hermitage. In 1897, the canvas was transferred to the collection of the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg where it is still today.

In the canvas the night storm has passed and now people are clinging the mast in their last strength in the struggle for their lives. They are exhausted and waiting to see what the new day will bring them. The painting does not depict the storm but its consequences.

It is believed that “The 9th Wave” was created according of the artist’s own recollections after surviving a shipwreck in the Bay of Biscay in 1844.

The main characteristic of the canvas is its duality. “The 9th Wave” canvas can be interpreted with a share of optimism in which men survived the shipwreck or it can be perceived as the triumph of the elements over man.

When we look at the canvas, we see the first rays of the sun breaking through which brings hope of survival to the sailors who have been wrecked.

The glare of the sun’s rays on the restless sea is so mysterious that it gives the canvas volume and realism. The coloring of the canvas is amazing and it is sometimes impossible to determine where the sea begins and the sky ends.

The image of the sea speaks of the last night storm which destroyed the ship, and the dark abyss of the waves brings fear. But the sea is not calm yet, we can see larges waves inflated by the wind. It seems that the waves oscillate, there the 9th wave, the huge last wave of the outgoing storm is coming and the survivors are waiting for it with fear.

The fragment of the mast is huge showing us the size of the sunken ship. It looks like a cross, which can be interpreted as a symbol of salvation or a symbol of crucifixion. On it are only a small handful of people showing us the size of the catastrophe and when we take into account the fact that the average crew of a ship at that time was more than a hundred people, the whole horror of the night storm is felt.

The red handkerchief which is waved by one of the surviving sailors may symbolize an antithesis to the white flag and people’s unwillingness to surrender or it can symbolize new blood

The picture on an emotional level shows the superiority of the elements over the fragile life of a person.

This canvas has now become legend itself and has been at many exhibitions held in different countries of the world I hope you enjoyed it.

You can also read our article about the painting “The Black Sea” by Ivan Aivazovsky

The Black Sea by Ivan Aivazovsky

The Black Sea

La Mer Noire

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Sources

Analysis and description of Aivazovsky’s painting “The Ninth Wave”

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