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

North Sea

Coastal Impressions

Balcony at the Mediterranean

Mountain Crimea

Makarska Riviera

Prcanj

Untitled

Time to rest

Blue morning

By the sea

City port

Sur la route d'Amalfi

Serie “Sensaciones”

Bretagne

Colors of Henningsvær

La Coruna desde el mar

Sailing

Mon île en balade couleur de coeur

Côte bretonne 1

Neptune's Realm

RÔ

FurÔ

Pontinifini

Pastel d'Ô

Paysage aux Baléares

Pointe d'Aradon, Bretagne

Serenity of the Coastal Waves in 3D Art

Purple Surf

Highway 1

Horizon 3

Reflect

Low Tide

Cycling Coastalward

French Terrace Tranquility

No Room For Clouds

The ark

Coastal Cypress Swing

Falaises Bretagne

Nature's Nautical View

Cornwall Beach retreat

Le sacre du printemps

Laguna Beach View

Matador Beach, Malibu

Espace ouvert 1

The Dream

Yacht Club

Yacht Club

Rocky coast

By the sea

Sunset on the sea

City port

Sunset

Yachts à Treguier

Scarlet Horizons

Rocks

Warm electricity

Les voiles rouges

Primo faro

Dolce Vita

Contemplation sur les rochers

La plage de Biscarrosse

Yachts in the port of Mandraki

City on the mountain

Wind and Waves

Fishing boats in the evening. Bali. Crete. Greece

Boats on the Horizon