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

Rocks

Paysage de mer

Happy fish

Au calme

Dana Point, Baby Beach II

Seabirds : Connection

Window into my soul

Getting To The Other Side

Cabanes tchanquées

Seabirds : Distance

By The Sea

Voyage DAmour

By the sea

La mer

Landscape with a boat

Deep inside #20

Deep inside 43

Deep inside 41

Ciel rose sur le rivage Ref BDNW10745

Soleil rose sur le rivage Ref BDNW10744

Rivage au crépuscule Ref BDNW10743

Fragata y tempestad

A day to remember

Shallow Waters, Deep Thoughts

Timeless Beauty

The beach

Flying over The Bahamas #3

Dock FL

N.O.B.O.D.Y (Cottonou, Benin)

Crépuscule

Coastal Silence

Notturno, Mare Nostrum 10

Notturno, Mare Nostrum 11

Notturno, Mare Nostrum 12

Notturno, Mare Nostrum 13

After Storm

Rêverie…

Sans titre

A magical world

Sea walk 2

Blue Water 2

Coastal Calm

Brant Point

Le souffle. des rêves

Black Sea. Ukraine

La mer

Lacanau Beach mini

La vague

Faro notturno I

Spiaggia e bandiera

Pas peur

Whale

Whale Tail

2 ère danse des poissons rouges japonais

Dinner on the terrace in Provence

Fish Expression

Orage à Punta-Cana

Course en mer... (Esprit Voile)

Jour de voile...

Balade

Acoustics

Glare Study III

Red Sand

Winter coast

Plazhut

Voiles au vent