Battle of Chesma 1886

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky captured the naval Battle of Chesma with oils in a scene dominated by the chaotic interplay of light and darkness. The burning ships offer a stark contrast to the night. Aivazovsky masterfully uses light to create a theatrical, almost sublime effect. The shapes of the ships are largely suggested through shadow, yet the scene is illuminated from within by the blaze. The texture of the painting, particularly in the rendering of water and smoke, adds a tactile dimension to the chaos. This dramatic use of light and shadow, coupled with the textured application of paint, evokes a sense of awe but also unease, characteristic of Romanticism's fascination with the power of nature and the sublime. The artwork destabilizes established meanings by presenting war not as heroic but as a cataclysmic event.