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

Ocean's Embrace: A Majestic Blue Vista

Deep Dive: Immersive Blue Ocean Energy

Nightsea

Dirk goes swimming

Silence is bliss, Painting, Acrylic on canvas

How do we get there?

Evening Naousa

Un chapeau à la mer N°2

Harbor's repose

Grinda Yacht

Marée

Royan n°15 (mer, landes)

Endless Light

On the sea coast

Fortress by the sea

Ile d'Oléron n°1 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues, océan)

Tender Sea

Liberté à l'horizon... (Esprit voile 2024)

Reflections of the Harbor

Boats and the sea Watercolor painting White boats Sea port

Untitled

Deauville si chaud

Scratched Reality No.6

Scratched Reality No.5

Scratched Reality No.4

Flow pass02_4479

Abstract sea

Storming

Chez Soi

Les regates bleues

Sea Spaces

Aqua seas 210719

JE PARS AVEC TOI

XXL Tranquil Shores

PAR ICI LE SOLEIL

Music of silence

Music of stones

Beyond the sea no. 3824

Amalfi Coast

Sailing regatta in the storm

Coast

Sea Lagoon

Laguna Beach. California 3

Mare Mari

Vacances dans le Var

Une mer Cinq terres

Mountain view

Sailboats

Yachts at the pier

Quiet harbor

Yacht at the berth

California Spring

Yacht at the pier

Boats at the dock

Sailboats at sea

Fisher boy

Série Lignes blanches - Soleil couchant

Un été en mer... (Esprit Voile)

Patagonia

Premiers émois

Dans la vague

Underwater Blue Pink

Sleepy Lagoon

Jump

At the beach

Cabin close to the ocean