The Ninth Wave (, Dyevyatiy val) is an 1850 painting by Russian marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky. It is his best-known work.
The title refers to an old sailing expression referring to a wave of incredible size that comes after a succession of incrementally larger waves.Debating Globalization and the Ninth Wave at University of Indiana Framing the Global Program Debate
It depicts a sea after a night storm and people facing death attempting to save themselves by clinging to debris from a wrecked ship. The debris, in the shape of the cross, appears to be a Christian metaphor for salvation from earthly sin. The painting has warm tones, which reduce the sea's apparent menacing overtones, and a chance for the people to survive seems plausible. This painting shows both the violence and beauty of nature.
Background Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900) was born in Feodosia, Crimea to an Armenian father.
Technique Aivazovsky conjured the ocean's magnitude by saturating a vast canvas with color and light.
Legacy The Ninth Wave is Aivazovsky's most famous work.
References
External links
The Ninth Wave, 1850 at the Russian State Museum