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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Subcategories

Sea

Morning Light

Collection Bleu d'été - Summertimes

Collection Bleu d'été - Junior suite Sea View

Le vent s'est levé sur l'eau toute ourlée - Paysage marin de La Nouvelle Calédonie

Summer house

Kotor Corner

Sommet du mât

Grain

Barbarian sea spit

At the Laspi

Balaclava

Paysage à Ibiza

Crépuscule

Danse en lumière

La course des nuages

Eyes of the Wind

Silver Linings

Seaside Reverie

Plage du Roux n°5 (paysage marin, ciel, mer calme, nuages, vagues)

Saint Palais n°6 (paysage marin, ciel, mer calme, nuages)

Pointe Espagnole n°4 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues)

Royan n°16 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, marée basse, plage)

Ile d'Aix n°15 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues)

Ile d'Aix n°7 (paysage marin semi-abstrait, mer, vagues)

Gurzuf

Seaside Play

Cap au Sud

Cyanotypie Rascasse

Goldfish XLII

Goldfish XLIII

Ecume

City on the water and white sails

The atmosphere of the Venetian city

Scarlet sunset on the ferry

Ablazing horizon

Water reflection No2

Flow pass17_4499

Glare on the waves. Original painting

Baie de la Chania

Moon rise

Bright sunset

Sea of glass #7

Mer et silhouettes 012

Mr et silhouettes 013

Mer et silhouettes 035

Mer et silhouettes 055

Quiet evening in the Old Port

Night tide

Eclats d’écume

Vineyards in the mountains

Quiet evening

Evening Italy

Gray moon

Sea colors

Blue times

Meilleure vue (Best view)

The Wishful Thinker

To Love Herself

Vagues sur mer

Harbor in Motion

Encre de Mer

Etude en Normandie

Côte bretonne

Face à la Mer 15 - 19 Mai

Face à la Mer

Delicate sunset. Port of Bali