Ivan Aivazovsky "Fog over the Sea (A Storm at Sea)"

The painting “Fog over the Sea” was a gift to Riga by Ivan Aivazovsky himself in 1886 after his solo exhibition in Riga City Art Gallery, which then was situated in the Kerkoviuss building (now at Kalpaka Boulevard 4).

With its grudging palette of colours, the artist has precisely created the mood of a bleak day.   

Thick, low-floating clouds, swathes of fog and the horizon line disappearing into the pale, barely visible light create the impression of an endless expanse of sea and sky. 

The play of light and shadow creates a precise illusion of a stormy sea in the grey manes of wind-driven waves.

The greyish-green hue of the water and the thick morning fog suggest that the painting depicts the Baltic Sea.

Another aspect of the artist’s talent is revealed here – his skill with an almost monochrome gamma of colours, achieving a full and harsh portrayal of the sea without marked colour and light effects.