Battle of Chesma (1886)

The Battle of Chesma on July 5–7, 1770 was one of the most spectacular Russian naval victories of the eighteenth century: the Russian fleet under Admiral Alexei Orlov destroyed nearly the entire Ottoman navy in the harbor of Chesma, primarily through the use of fire ships that ignited the densely packed Ottoman vessels in a catastrophic chain of explosions. Catherine the Great commemorated the victory extensively — erecting a column at Tsarskoye Selo and naming a palace after the battle. Aivazovsky painted the subject multiple times across his career, this 1886 version being among the later treatments. By returning to Chesma after more than forty years of practice, Aivazovsky brought accumulated mastery of fire, smoke, and night-time water effects to a subject that demanded all three. The year given in the title (1770) refers to the battle itself, while the painting dates to 1886 — reflecting Aivazovsky's habit of precisely dating his historical subjects.

Chesma demanded Aivazovsky's most dramatic lighting effects: the night sky illuminated by burning ships creates conditions of orange fire, black smoke, and the bright reflections of flames on water. He uses rapid impasto strokes in the fire zones and smooth dark glazes for the surrounding sea, maximizing contrast. Exploding ships provide focal points of violent light against the surrounding darkness.