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

Mielno Beach Naturystyczna

Ice Cream

Reflet de soleil à marée basse

Les voiles rouges

Les voiles rouges

Porthcurno Beach

Great big beautiful sea

I'm Rare

Boat with Cloud

Gulls on Chesil Beach

East of Golden Cap

Sète seas

Summer day

The Hour of the Storm

By the rocks

Lace shore

Storm break

Naufragés

Dreams. Lake Como. Seascape original painting

Sailboats in the misty dawn II. Seascape original painting

Sunset Joy on the Shore

Mountain view

Sailboats

Yachts at sea

Comme une caresse sur le sable

Yachts at the pier

Un chapeau à la mer N°1

Quiet harbor

Yacht at the berth

La lecture

Yacht at the pier

Boats at the dock

Sailboats at sea

Evening sea sunset

Unapologetically Pink 3

Seascape

Cadaques

Costa Brava

Winter charts

Glistening Water

Ruelle de Santorin, Grèce

Man jumping our of the water, Two: From Motion Series

Meilleure vue (Best view)

Meilleur cliché (Best shot)

À l’aube de la saison (Before the season)

The Birth Of Venus

Steamship John Oxley

Seashore

Chrysler Building

Warm summer waves

Azure serenity - blue turquoise water, sea, waves

In the shades of transparency 2

Ultramarine sky

Blue Fish Sardines

Evening near Malia. Crete

Not Far From Paradise

Umbrellas 50 IV

My never ending love for you

Row or Ride?

Lunaria - collection spéciale Grands Formats

Above Santa Monica

Roun Ocean #87

A Terrace with a View of the Sea

Sunny day in the port

Morning at the port

Boats at the pier