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

Viens je t'emmène

PETIT MATIN A GRAND BAIE

FLIC AND FLAC DESSINES MOI DES BATEAUX

Sidi Bou Said

Paysage avec des pêcheurs, Normandie

La mer

Sailing Adventure XL 1

Saint Gilles de Croix de Vie’s magical dunepath

Mer du sud

November Mist lll

Coucher de soleil sur les îles Lofoten

Lac Powell Arizona. Amérique du nord

Biarritz. Océan. France

Bleu Méditerranée. France

Chapelle en Bretagne

Lac en Patagonie. Chili

Falaises d'Etretat. France

Believe it

Bleu infini

Vers la mer.

EFI_Beach_012

EFI_Beach_013

EFI_Beach_011

EFI_Beachchairs_012

Baltic_Ice_II_Helsinki_018

Baltic_Ice_II_Helsinki_011

Blue Water 2

Sud j'aime tes couleurs

Le souffle. des rêves

Lacanau Beach mini

Spiaggia e bandiera

Charter Ketch

Paysage du bassin

Arrival at the beach

Rocky coast

Glare Study III

Red Sand

Winter coast

Sea walk 2

Nues V

Permafrost

The Beach in Corfu

In the dark

Night in blue

Peaceful beach

The Path to the Sun

Himmel #4

Golden bay

Grotto

Lake Maggiore blue sea

Adria_Panorama_01

Versilia_Panorama_04

Versilia_Panorama_02

Versilia_Panorama_01

Yacht at the pier

Royan n°15 (mer, landes)

Round Ocean #86

Ethereal Ice Towers

Rest

Ochakov opposite

Rebirth Amidst Ruins

La Mer XXXVII

Music of stones

Amalfi Coast

Silence is bliss, Painting, Acrylic on canvas

Tania Mallet