1850th
Brown paper, water colour, whiting, brush
26,7 x 39,2

The water colour belongs to the series of so-called “Biblical sketches” which Ivanov worked on during the 1850s. The series remained unfinished. The subject was taken from the Gospel According to Matthew: “…And, in leaving the boat, Peter walked on the water in order to go up to Jesus, but seeing the strong wind and getting frightened, he started to sink and cried out: Lord! Save me. Jesus then extended his hand and supported him and said unto him: You are of little faith! Why did you have doubts?” (Matthew, XIV, 29–32). The shapes of the figures are barely drawn in. Ivanov was working with freely applied spots of colour, which he delimited with strokes of whiting. The part of the sheet left without paint forms the silhouette of a boat. The mystical white color creates the sensation of a miracle occurring before our eyes.