plate no. 2363

View of seaside town in the evening with a lighthouse

oilRomanticismcityscapeseascapelighthousebuildingsmoonwatersky

recreation guide

This artwork, titled 'View of seaside town in the evening with a lighthouse' (1870), falls within Ivan Aivazovsky’s mature period, characterized by a shift toward 'delicate colors' and 'silver-toned seascapes' rather than the epic, high-contrast Romanticism of his earlier years (Source 6). As a cityscape or 'veduta' (Source 3), it likely combines Aivazovsky’s signature marine expertise with urban elements, reflecting his role as an official artist for the Russian Navy who frequently depicted coastal scenes and naval maneuvers (Source 5). The painting’s style is described as 'highly academic' yet faithful to Romanticism, utilizing a palette that became increasingly subtle and truthful in its later decades (Source 6).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions, allowing for drying times between glaze layers

materials

4 items

steps

4 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (Ultramarine, White, Black, Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre)	Primary pigments for underpainting and glazing	Modern tube oils; historically, lead white was common but restricted today (Source 7)
Linseed oil or Oil of Copavia	Medium for mixing paints and glazing	Stand oil or refined linseed oil
Varnish	Mixed with oil for final glazing stages to increase transparency and depth	Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish
Canvas or Panel	Support for the painting	Linen canvas primed with gesso

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a neutral ground. While Aivazovsky’s specific ground preparation is not detailed in the sources, the technique described involves a 'grisaille' (monochrome underpainting) that must be 'quite dry' before proceeding (Source 1). Ensure the surface is smooth to allow for the delicate glazing techniques characteristic of his later work.

underdrawing

Aivazovsky’s preparatory methods are not explicitly detailed in the provided sources. However, given his 'highly academic' training (Source 6), a light charcoal or thinned oil sketch is likely. Focus on the horizon line and the placement of the lighthouse and town structures, ensuring the composition balances the urban elements with the seascape.

underpainting

Create a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white. This step involves 'mentally extracting the red and yellow colours' to establish the value structure and form without color interference (Source 1). This aligns with the method described by Sir Joshua Reynolds, which Aivazovsky’s academic training would have respected (Source 1).

color palette

Silver-Grey/Blue

Ultramarine, White, Black

Dominant tones for the sea and sky, reflecting the 'silver-toned seascapes' of his later years (Source 6)

Warm Yellow/Red

Yellow Ochre, Red Ochre, White

Glazing over the grisaille to introduce warmth, particularly in the evening light and lighthouse glow (Source 1)

Neutral Grey

Black, White, Ultramarine

Scumbling to create 'grey bloom' and atmospheric coldness in shadows (Source 1)

composition

As a cityscape/veduta (Source 3), the composition likely features a prominent lighthouse and town structures against the sea. Aivazovsky’s later works often depicted 'urban landscapes' such as 'Moonlit Night on the Bosphorus' (Source 6). The composition should balance the verticality of the lighthouse with the horizontal expanse of the sea, consistent with his marine painting tradition.

step by step

underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underpainting

step 01
Apply a monochrome underpainting (grisaille) using black, ultramarine, and white. Establish the values of the lighthouse, town, sea, and sky without using red or yellow pigments.
Tip — Ensure this layer is completely dry before proceeding. This step 'mentally extracts' the warm colors to focus on form (Source 1).
Grisaille

first pass

step 02
Begin glazing with oil. Apply transparent coats of yellow and red tones over the dry grisaille, particularly in areas where evening light would reflect, such as the lighthouse beam and wet surfaces.
Tip — Glazing is a 'transparent coat of colour' that allows the underlying painting to show through, creating depth (Source 1).
Glazing

refining

step 03
Use scumbling to add semi-opaque layers, particularly for atmospheric effects like mist or the 'grey bloom' in the shadows and distant sea.
Tip — Scumbling over a darker ground 'tends to coldness,' which is useful for the evening atmosphere (Source 1).
Scumbling

finishing

step 04
Once mastery is gained, mix varnish with oil for final glazes to enhance the luminosity and 'delicate colors' characteristic of Aivazovsky’s 1870s work.
Tip — This technique mimics the 'tinting an engraving with water-colours' effect, adding richness without muddying the underpainting (Source 1).
Varnish Glazing

critical techniques

Glazing and Scumbling

Aivazovsky’s later work relied on delicate colors. Glazing adds transparent warmth, while scumbling adds semi-opaque coolness. This method was 'practised by the old masters' and involves layering transparent and semi-opaque paints over a dry monochrome base (Source 1).

Silver-Toned Palette

In the 1870s, Aivazovsky’s paintings were 'dominated by delicate colors' and 'silver-toned seascapes' (Source 6). Avoid overly saturated hues; aim for a harmonious, soft effect similar to looking through a colored glass (Source 2).

common pitfalls

→Applying glazes before the grisaille is completely dry, which will muddy the colors and ruin the transparency (Source 1).
→Using too much opaque paint in the final layers, which defeats the purpose of the glazing technique and obscures the underlying value structure (Source 1).
→Ignoring the 'dominant colour' or tone of the picture, leading to a lack of harmony. The colors should be harmonious even if not 'true' to the model (Source 2).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific brushwork techniques for Aivazovsky’s water effects are not detailed in the sources.
·The exact proportions of varnish to oil for the final glazes are not specified.
·The specific layout of the town and lighthouse in this 1870 painting is not described in the sources, so the composition must be inferred from general genre conventions.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Underpainting, glazing, and scumbling techniques
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- 306-308 — applied to Color harmony and dominant tone

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Ivan Aivazovsky↗
- part 7 — applied to Style description, silver-toned palette, and academic training
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- part 13 — applied to Genre classification as cityscape/veduta

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

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