Today is the Birthday of Armenian Genius Seascape Hovhannes Aivazovsky

Today is the birthday of Armenian genius seascape, honorary Admiral of the Russian Empire, member of Russian Imperial Academy, Hovhannes Aivazovsky.
Hovhannes Aivazovski is known for his seascapes, which constitute more than half of his works.
He was born in a poor Armenian family, in the town of Teodosia, in the Crimea. His family name was Aivazyan. Some of the artist’s pictures bare this signature, in Armenian- "Hovhannes Aivazyan". His artistic talent, opened his way to the gymnasium of the city of Simferopol, and later, to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, which Hovhannes Aicazovsky finished with a gold medal.
Receiving awards for his early landscapes and seascapes, he began to paint series of portraits of Crimean coastal towns. Then Aivazovski went to European countries. Later in his life, he was honored to become a permanent officer of Russian Navy, due to his series of seascapes and pictures of ships. He also painted several pictures for the Ottoman Sultan, which are currently in Turkish museums. The Turkish sultan awarded Aivazovsky with a medal, but when in 1890 massacres of Armenians took place in Turkey, Aivazovsky tied the medal from his dog's neck, and then threw into the sea.
Living a long and creative life, he became the most famous Russian painter of the time. He left more than 6000 works. He died in 1900. During his successful creative activities, with the significant money he earned, Aivazovsky opened up a School of Arts and Art Gallery, in his native Teodosia.
Aivazovsky's works have been sold at auction for up to 2 million 125 thousand U.S. dollars.