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.

Search by Image

Save your search and find it in your favorites

Flight between the stars - blue, navy, white, black large abstraction, drops, expressionism dropping inspired by Jackson Pollock

7/60 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60

Categories

Subcategories

Sea

Paysage ostréicole

Infini

Ensemble pour un voyage

Le cabanon rose

La lumière te trouvera toujours

Seaside Rendezvous S 3

Seaside Rendezvous XL 24

Seaside Evening Rendezvous XL 1

Seaside Rendezvous XL 23

Sable d’or

Etude balnéaire

Glare on waves 8.

Sunset. Ocean.

Light on the water 7.

Silver of the sea 3.

Dance of glare on the water 2.

La Grande Guerre

Fantasy (reflets sur l'eau)

Becoming Marilyn (1945)

Noum

Kingdom II

Tranquil XXII

Silent magic

Horizon d'éternité... (Esprit Voile)

La Couleur des Mers du Sud

Boats in the Harbor, Rockport, Maine

Your Mother

Phylum II

Headache II

Caustic

Butterfly

Seaforms

Donald surfer

Les Senteurs du Sud

Tracks

Palms. Beach 3

Sunset. Flowers

Sunset 3

Abstract charts

Ocean. Sky 5

Sea decor

Evening light 8

Laguna Beach. California 9

Roses by the sea

Evening at sea

Turquoise Blue Wave XL 3

Seaside Rendezvous XL 19

Diagonal

Soirée a Natashquan Canada

Serene sailboat at sunset

Almost Abstract Landscape - 1 (Ocean)

This Is My Paradise

You Make Me feel Alive

Sans faute - collection spéciale Grands Formats

Serenity V - White box frame

Côtes d'Armor

Estran

At the edge of the earth

The magic beach

Fountain of Life

Look the ocean

Dark Materials VIII

A Rock in The Mud

On Chesil Beach

Breath of the Storm

Les pieds dans l’eau