"Вид Петербурга", 1888

"View of St. Petersburg", 1888
Located at: National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan. Canvas on cardboard, oil.
The picture was created in three stages, and for a long time could not take place as a final work. First, ships were created, and small details, such as a platform for laundresses, and the left part of city houses. Even the court, which is visible in the background, also belongs to the first stage. And it was drawn with a clear detail of small objects, by removing them, and adjusting them with a spatula.
The second stage was the creation of the sea. If you look at the picture from afar, it seems that the sea is printed with the help of gloss, and consists entirely of a transition of warm colors. This technology was widely used during the time of Aivazovsky, and then it has passed into our time.
The third stage was the creation of the sky. It is also drawn precisely taking into account the substitution technique known to the artist, and consists of drawing light brush strokes made during the wiring with a secondary section. After that, sharp corners are cut off with a spatula, and the sky takes on the appearance of a romantic sketch.