Sea

Majestic and tyrannical, the sea has never ceased to fascinate artists. Untameable, this force of nature seems to have a life of its own and has inspired many artists. Since antiquity, the sea has been represented in all its glory, century after century it is honoured through various styles and colours. However, this desire to escape to the great outdoors is certainly not only reserved for 21st century painters

Maritime art began at the same time as history painting - in the 15th century, and they share many common traits. Maritime painting mostly depicts scenes of combat, historical incidents and mythology where people play a crucial role. It wasn't until the 17th century that artists stopped depicting people in their seascapes and focused solely on the representation of the landscape itself instead.

In the Middle Ages, shipwrecks and storms terrorised citizens as they interpreted them as signs of God's wrath. he church even used images of the rough sea to hold power over its believers.

Representations in classical painting were strictly governed by academic rules, and often didn't manage to convey true emotion. Maritime scenes joined the mainstream in the 19th century, especially with the arrival of the Romantic period as emotions played a much greater role in marine painting. The two great masters of the period were J.M.W Turner and Caspar David Friedrich who captured the attention of their contemporaries and whose works continue to mesmerise us today.

For the impressionists, the sea was a sublimation of nature. During the 19th century, artists come out of their studios in order to paint and describe nature as they saw and feel it. By the end of the 19th century, the sea was no longer a simple, blue expanse but rather an eruption of emotions illuminated through painting.

Contemporary art offers a new insight into creation. Today, the technique is overrun by the message and intention of the work. Therefore, we find all varieties of sea illustrations where the sea becomes an image of contemporary creation. Even though the sea is sometimes reinvented, it remains true to reality.

The new generation of contemporary artists create works that depict freshness, escape, lost coves, waves, and that salty seaside air. Discover our selection inspired by ocean waters.

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Categories

Subcategories

Sea

Baltic_Ice_II_Helsinki_012

Beauport

Profondeurs marines

Lake Ossiach

Banquette de posidonies

Ensablement des posidonies

From my campervan to the Sea

MERVEILLEUX SUD,DU BLEU DANS LA MER

Endless horizons

Azure Serenity: A Moment of Calm

Golden Horizon: Embrace of Earth and Sky

Emerald Horizon: Depths of Tranquility

From the mudflats

Arrival at the beach

How do we get there?

Strange Weather

Kermouster

Hersonissos Overcast

Kotor

En tête à tête... (Esprit voile 2016)

Les reflets du ciel et de la mer... (Esprit voile 2024)

Ostréiculture et marais

Coucher de soleil sur les Backwaters. Kérala. Inde

Ozhiko

Mon petit jardin d'Eden est ici

AV_Miami_17

Hot summer day

Warm French coast

Serenade of the Serene Lake

Morning at Sea

A taste of Positano

?N INSPIRING DAY

Fisher boy

Fracas

Océan

Volcanic objects

Cabin close to the ocean

Arcachon n°23 (paysage marin, mer, vagues)

A bold expectation

New Day

Le gardien du désert salé

Infinitude

Navegante

Nocthea

Summer impressions. Cafe. Croatia

Whisper of the sea.

Morning calm

Ile d'Aix n°10 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, îles)

La Baule frisquet, on sort

Round Ocean #69

Yachts at the berth

Rivage lointain - Paysage abstrait vu du ciel

Sail Boat Marina XL 4

Shine

On my way to Poland

Boats. Morning.

Coast Monterey

Gentle sunset 9

Mystic day

Ocean sunset.

Light. Ocean.

Sky. Ocean. Light .

Golden sunset

Dance of glare at sunset.

Voyage, voyage

November Mist ll