Shipping off the Dutch Coast by Ivan Aivazovsky

Shipping off the Dutch Coast - Ivan Aivazovsky - Romantic Canvas Wall Art

At a Glance

Shipping off the Dutch Coast by Ivan Aivazovsky is one of those images that never dates. Our studio recreates it as a hand painted oil painting — textured, color-rich, and ready to hang as canvas wall art in a gallery wall, study, or reception area.

The Story Behind the Painting

1844
Oil on canvas

Aivazovsky's visit to Holland came at a pivotal period in his early career. The previous year he had staged a highly successful exhibition at the Louvre, and in 1844, as his tour of Europe drew to a close, he was named Academician by the Amsterdam Academy of Arts. On his return to Russia that year he would be awarded the title by the St Petersburg Academy of Arts and become inundated with commissions for paintings of Kronstadt, Revel, Sveaborg and other Baltic cities.

It is extremely unusual to find such an early accomplished piece on the market. Although he was only 27 years old, Aivazovsky's individual style was by now very much defined. With his characteristic flashes of red paint, Aivazovsky draws the viewer's eye from the struggling sailors in the foreground to the Dutch tricolour flying high on the mast and beyond. The dramatic and romantic content recall the influences of Géricault and Delacroix, whose reputations were built on monumental marine works. During his stay in Amsterdam, Aivazovsky would have certainly absorbed the techniques of Dutch landscape and maritime painters such as Van de Velde and Van Ruisdael, and indeed, this was one of his reasons for visiting Amsterdam and England, 'to see the sea and its artists'.

It is worth noting that after 1842 there is an element of psychological plausibility in Aivazovsky's survivor paintings, for in that year he was caught in such a terrible storm in the Bay of Biscay that the ship was presumed wrecked and Aivazovsky's death was lamented in the Parisian press. A similar work painted in 1844 hangs in the National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan, though it lacks the defining features of the Dutch coastline.

As gallery wall art, the piece pairs naturally with other romantic wall art and with warm neutrals, timber, and soft natural light.

100% Hand Painted on Canvas

From primer to varnish, the work is done manually on artist-grade canvas. The absence of digital printing is deliberate: it keeps the seascape brushwork visible and gives the romantic oil painting wall decor a museum-like finish.

Specifications & What You Receive

• Genuine hand painted oil painting on premium artist canvas; no printing or digital imaging is used.
• A generous 2-inch blank canvas border surrounds the image to simplify mounting.
• We dispatch worldwide ourselves, so there are no middlemen in the chain.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Custom canvas dimensions are welcome for this seascape oil painting.
• Choose from DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and other competitively priced carriers.
• We stretch your canvas onto wooden bars at no extra charge, and can arrange custom framing.
• Before dispatch we email a digital proof so you can approve the finished canvas.

Styling & Placement

As gallery wall art, this canvas brings color and texture without visual noise. It scales well from a small study to a large gallery wall feature wall, and it is a reliable choice when shopping for seascape oil painting as a gift.

Delivery, Sizes & Guarantee

Browse our Ivan Aivazovsky Paintings selection for related seascape canvases, or commission this seascape image in a custom size. Every order is a hand painted oil painting, never a printed poster.