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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Sea

Rivage au crépuscule Ref BDNW10743

Ecume II

Untitled 13

Paysage

Vagues Ref BDNW10737

Coucher de soleil Ref BDNW10735

Coucher de soleil Ref BDNW10731

Mediterranean Sunset

Seascape

Mirages 13

Mirages 02

Mirages 01

And the Sea will be there 13

And the Sea will be there 11

And the Sea will be there 08

And the Sea will be there 06

And the Sea will be there 03

And the Sea will be there 02

And the Sea will be there 01

Coronado Beach Scene

Bétonisation I

New old home - view from Canada to Washington state in the US (Victoria, B.C.)

Floating on the Water

Venice Beach Purple Sea ll

The Issue

Trébeurden

Highway to Hel, Hel, Poland

Settling down

Shade

The epic

Coast

Aerial Australia - Shark Bay #2

Aerial Australia - Shark Bay

Lever de soleil sur l’océan

Roccapina

Calme sur l’océan

World spins madly on

Ocean bleu

Un beau voyage sur l’eau

Bain de soleil

Au bord de l'immensité

A song to the sea

Océan

Paisible

Light painting

Night sea

Pêcheur de tec-tecs ile aux bénitiers chapeau orange 02

Sports nautiques pointe d'Esny 02

Ship II

Pèche côtière

Les flots bleus

Pêcheur de tec-tecs ile aux bénitiers chapeau orange 03

Sports nautiques pointe d'Esny 03

Freedom

Seul au monde

Paloma on the Côte d'Azur

Dedicated to Gauguin

The Woman and the Ocean’s Sunrise

Languid Dissolution

Scent of Lemon Breeze

Reflejos

La mer sous la pluie

Plage de Luc-sur-Mer

Les falaises bleues

Ma Normandie

Brushed oceanic in brown