Listen to this article
0:00 / 3:31 · Read by ArtLogia
After a night of storm, a few shipwrecked sailors cling to a broken mast as an enormous wave rises above them, while the rising sun turns the sky and sea gold. Painted in 1850, Ivan Aivazovsky's The Ninth Wave is the most famous seascape in Russian art.
In this article
The greatest painter of the sea
Ivan Aivazovsky, born in 1817 in Feodosia on the Crimean coast, devoted his life to painting the sea. He produced around six thousand works, most of them seascapes, many painted from memory in his studio. He believed that the movement of the elements could not be painted directly from nature, only recreated from a powerful visual memory.
The Ninth Wave, painted in 1850, is his most celebrated work. Tsar Nicholas I bought it, and it has been one of the treasures of the Russian Museum since its foundation.
The legend of the ninth wave
Sailors used to believe that waves come in series and that the ninth wave is the biggest and most dangerous of all. The title of the painting tells us that the survivors are about to face the ultimate test.
The survivors
At the bottom of the painting, a small group of men cling to the wreckage of a mast. One raises his arm, perhaps to wave a cloth, perhaps to pray, while others hold on to their companions. They are tiny compared with the vast sea, but their struggle is the human heart of the painting.
Detail 1
Clinging to the mast
Shipwrecked sailors hold on to a broken mast, one raising his arm towards the light. Their survival is uncertain, but they have not given up.
The glowing sun
Above them, the sun breaks through the clouds, filling the sky with warm gold, orange and pink light. The light shines through the waves and turns the spray into glowing mist. Many viewers see in this light a symbol of hope: the storm is passing, and the night is over.
Detail 2The sun through the storm
The rising sun breaks through the clouds in a blaze of gold. Its light suggests hope after the terror of the night.
The translucent waves
Aivazovsky was famous for his ability to paint the transparency of water. The great waves glow green and turquoise where the light passes through them, a technique he achieved with thin, luminous glazes. Their crests break into white foam and spray.
Detail 3The rising wave
A huge wave rises on the left, its green body lit from within. Aivazovsky's glazes give the water its luminous transparency.
Detail 4Spray and foam
On the right, foam and spray rise from the crashing water, painted with light, quick touches over glowing colour.
Painting the sea from memory
Aivazovsky rarely painted outdoors. He would watch the sea for hours, then return to his studio and paint rapidly, sometimes finishing a large canvas in a single day. He said that the movements of the living elements cannot be captured directly by the brush, and that a painter must remember the effect of a storm or a sunset. His technique relied on thin, transparent layers of paint over a light ground, which allowed light to shine through the waves as if through real water. In The Ninth Wave, this method produces the luminous green of the breaking wave and the golden glow of the sky. The painting's combination of terror and hope made it a symbol of human endurance, and it remains one of the most popular paintings in Russia.
Seeing The Ninth Wave
The painting measures about 2.2 by 3.3 metres and hangs in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. Its golden light makes it one of the most popular seascapes for reproduction.
Own a hand-painted copy
The Ninth Wave
Painted by hand in oil on canvas, any size. Free worldwide shipping.
From $349 — Make it yours.Frequently asked questions
What is the ninth wave?
According to sailors' legend, the ninth wave in a series is the largest and most dangerous.
Who painted The Ninth Wave?
Ivan Aivazovsky, the great Russian painter of the sea, painted it in 1850.
Did Aivazovsky paint from life?
He usually painted seascapes from memory in his studio, believing the movement of the sea could not be copied directly.
Where is The Ninth Wave?
It is in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Sources and further reading
- State Russian Museum, collection notes on The Ninth Wave
- Gianni Caffiero and Ivan Samarine, Seas, Cities and Dreams: The Paintings of Ivan Aivazovsky (2000)
- Nikolai Barsamov, Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1962)
