Seaside city. View of Yalta 1866

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky created this “Seaside city. View of Yalta” with oil paints, a traditional fine art material, that is itself a product of labor-intensive harvesting, refining and manufacturing processes. The turbulent sea and dramatic light effects are achieved through layers of pigmented oil, skillfully applied with brushes, each layer demanding considerable time and expertise. Aivazovsky captured the intensity of the scene and also the texture of the materials themselves, suggesting the weight and movement of the ocean, the density of the clouds, and the play of light on the architecture of Yalta. The artist’s masterful use of light, a crucial material in this work, gives it a powerful social context. The bright sun shines on the city while the dark storm looms, perhaps reflecting the social and political tensions of the time and the amount of work involved in maintaining a city. In the end, this painting challenges the traditional distinctions between fine art and craft, by emphasizing the importance of material, making, and context in understanding its full meaning.