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Ninth Wave

Ninth Wave

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V. Borisov (copy after Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky)

Ninth Wave is an early twentieth-century copy of a work by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, painted in 1850. The original work has led to the creation of several copies, all of which depict the powerful, unstoppable force of ocean waves against minuscule human figures. The destructive capabilities of waves can often go unnoticed, but these paintings seek to bring forth man’s inability to calm the ocean. The works also represent the continuous, repetitive motion that defines all types of waves. Joseph E. Davies brought this painting to the University of Wisconsin–Madison from Russia in 1937.
Artist
V. Borisov (copy after Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky)
(Russian, 20th century) (Russian, 1817 - 1900)
Title
Ninth Wave
Date
1936 (original 1850)
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
59 1/2 x 42 1/4 in. Overall
Credit
Gift of Joseph E. Davies
Accession No.
37.2.79
Classification
Paintings
Geography
Russia

Related

1937, purchased in U.S.S.R. [now Russia] by Joseph E. Davies [ambassador to U.S.S.R.] (Washington, DC); 1937, gifted to University of Wisconsin – Madison; 1967, transferred to Elvehjem Art Center [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Bowlt, John E. "Soviet Paintings in the Joseph E. Davies Collection." Elvehjem Museum of Art Bulletin, 1976-1977. Elvehjem Museum of Art (1977): 34-42.
  • Alumni Association of the University of Wisconsin of the City of New York. "The Joseph E. Davies Collection of Russian Paintings and Icons Presented to The University of Wisconsin." New York: Alumni Association of the University of Wisconsin of the City of New York, 1938. p. 53, no. 85
  • Sioux City Art Center. "Davies Collection: Russian Painting 1850-1936." Sioux City, IA: Sioux City Art Center, 1967.

  • Capturing Nature: Instruments, Specimens, and Art: Science History Detectives First-Year Interest Group, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 12/10/2013–4/13/2014
  • Russian Paintings from the Joseph E. Davies Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 2/7/1987–3/8/1987
  • Title unknown [Russian paintings]: University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 10/3/1974–10/29/1974
  • Davies Collection: Russian Painting 1850-1936: Sioux City Art Center, 9/10/1967–10/9/1967

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