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

Méandres bleu et sable

Régate

En sommardag

Vagues concevant l'immortalité

Un soir d’été… (Esprit voile)

Mer et silhouettes 056

Summer skyline

Les australes

Les estrans (série)

Toi et moi

El Mar

Night in the blue bay

Ease your feet in the sea

Aurora

Sea Scars

Vibrations of the sea

Best wave IV

Comme ce ciel

Santorin night - collection spéciale Grands Formats

City Lights on Water

Flare Up

Deep inside 10

Cote d'Azur

A good day fishing

Reflections of the Port

Girl by the sea

Bue #2

New Wave

Sea and moon

Blue Cliff

La vie est belle

Le galop de l'océan - Série évocation marine

Pebbles in azure

Soir tombant

Shore

Don't seas the day

Azure sea, quadriptych

Clarity

Paisatge

Série lignes blanches - Lignes épurées

Water's Edge

Ciel flamboyant Ref BDNW10739

Umbrellas 50 IV

Bodega Bay

Night Beach

A few wispy clouds

Seul au Monde XXL

Waves. Ocean ?7. Triptych

Misty dawn. Seascape original painting

Post cards from the beach #25

Oak Bay Study

Sea swell n*11 - Italian painting

Sunbeams Path

Drawing

Sailboat and Sandbar

Fog in the port

Seascape at Sunset in Spain

Waves

Soft breeze

Morning Mood

The Enigmatic Mermaid

Sea shells on the sea shore

Morning on the Bay

Les trois barques

Blue Sea Serenade

Highland Hope II

Oceanic Orchestra

Fish Market is Closed