TNT History Archives: 'Russian' Painted for Sultans, Later Backed Armenians

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 5 January 2020)



The chief painter of the Russian fleet, Ivan Constantinovic Ayvazovski,
came to Istanbul during the reigns of Sultans Abdülmecid and
Abdülhamid II to paint portraits of the sultans and scenes from their
palaces, for which he was rewarded and appreciated.

Now, some previously unknown documents about Ayvazovski from
the Ottoman archives have come to light, thanks to Prof. Dr. Fatma
Ürekli of Mimar Sinan University's fine arts faculty.  According to the
newly found documents, in the latter part of his life Ayvazovski
championed Armenian uprisings and an independent Armenia, painting
"The Massacre of Armenians in Trabzon" (1895) and "Tragedy in the
Sea of Marmara" (1897). 



The documents reveal that Ayvazovski was baptized in the Armenian
Church, recorded with the registry entry "Ovanes (Hovhannes) son of
Gevork Ayvazyan".  Later, his father changed his surname to
"Gayvazovskiy" and his first name to "Konstantin".  Prof. Ürekli
determined that in Russian literature the painter is referred to as
"İvan Konstantinovic Ayvazovsky", whereas in Armenian literature
his name is recorded as "Hovhannes Ayvazyan". 

Ayvozovski first came to Istanbul in April 1845 and was received in
the Beylerbeyi Palace by Sultan Abdülmecid, who was delighted with
the paintings Ayvozovski subsequently did for him.  However, Prof.
Ürekli learned from the newly uncovered documents that "Painter
Ayvozovski's relationship with the Ottoman palace took on a different
character after his last visit to Istanbul in 1890.  Ayvazovski returned
to Kefe in the Crimea and began to propagandize in favor of the
Armenians and against the Ottoman state."


Ayvozovski's 1848 painting of the battle between Ottoman 
and Russian navies at Çeşme, near İzmir, in 1770.

"He called on the Armenians living in Ottoman territory to rise up
and create an Armenian principality.  At a dinner he gave in 1895,
Ayvozovski spoke derisively about the Ottoman sultan and his
government.  He even threw to the floor medals given to him and to
his wife by the Ottomans."

The Ottoman consul in Kefe sent a report to the embassy in
St. Petersburg, dated 28 December 1895, as follows:
"Ayvazovski gave a dinner at his residence recently for a few
families, at which he declared that because of the Ottoman
government's mismanagement, Ottoman soldiers, Kurds and other
Moslem groups have been tyrannizing and murdering Armenians.
Ayvazovski took note of European states' dismay over this
situation and said that these states had made grave statements in
this regard to the Ottoman government."


Ayvazovski's 1897 painting entitled "The Massacre of 
Armenians in Trebizond in 1895".


Ayvazovski's 1897 painting entitled "Tragedy in the Sea of 
Marmara".

Continuing, the Ottoman consul in Kefe wrote that Ayvazovski
added "although it is likely that the matter of forming a principality in
Armenia will soon take on a definite shape, if this does not happen
then the more than 80,000 Armenians living in Istanbul and the few
million Armenians living in Anatolia and foreign countries should
take up arms to save their nation and unite with all their strength to
sacrifice for this cause."


Kefe (Feodosia) is situated on the south Black Sea coast of 
Crimea.