Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “View of the Leander Tower”

Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky View of the Leander Tower

In his masterpiece “The View of the Leandrova Tower in Constantinople,” the talented one expressed all his emotions and impressions from the trip to the city of Istanbul. This tower was built in the XII century. It is located on a tiny rock near the strait of Istanbul harbor. It was used as a lighthouse and a bridge for boats and ships. The top of the tower covers with its outlook the entire strait, behind the ships are seen with raised sails and echoes of the buildings of Constantinople. The tower was named after a famous legend of two lovers: the man Leandre and the priestess of Hero. The priestesses lit the fire every day in the tower, and the young man each time passed through the strait, focusing on the light from the tower.

Then one day the light from the tower disappeared and the young man, not cope with the seabed, died. Early in the morning the body of the young man washed the shore, and the desperate Hero rushed into the sea from the top of the tower. And although the local Turks called this tower Maiden, the artist still preferred the ancient name. As a master of seascapes, Aivazovsky managed to combine the tower, the sea and the shadows of Constantinople in a single harmonious composition. At the base, the tower itself naturally housed, with a high wing, windows, an entrance and a small pier. A traditional Turkish boat sails in front of the tower, carrying a group of women in traditional outfits.

Their faces, hair and robes are hidden under a white veil. Against the background of the tower you can see the silhouettes of Istanbul palaces and buildings. They all majestically rise above the sea shores. And another important detail is the sunset. He throws his bright path straight to the beginning of the picture. Aivazovsky portraying the sunset, once again reminds of the real location of the tower and the city itself, showing it from the east.


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Description of the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky “View of the Leander Tower”