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

Vue sur la mer depuis les hauteurs de Capri

Destination Amalfi

A warm summer's day

Laguna Beach View

Surf, Sun & Sand XIV

Matador Beach, Malibu

Le Port d'Honfleur

The Dream

Barnegat Light

Girls

Blue Ocean Reverie

Coast of Odessa

Port

Resting-place

La marche des flots

Courants extrêmes

Boats at Rest

Yachts à Treguier

Ring of fire

Scarlet Horizons

5.20 pm

Light #10

Rocks

The pool, Hotel du Cap

Coque de Bateau - Covid

Fou et voile

Petits fous

Soleil et voiles, sur le pont

Avant l'envol

La voile orange

Rouge et vol

Défilé

Les voiles rouges

Les voiles rouges

Les voiles rouges

Primo faro

La plage de Biscarrosse

Yachts in the port of Mandraki

Harbor of Light,

Morning embankment

Sunset embankment

Morning silance

Sea down

Stones by the sea

Wind and Waves

Fishing boats in the evening. Bali. Crete. Greece

Surf

Caribbean Coral Reef Textured Painting

Paysage de mer

Falaises - Marée basse

Esperando que suba la marea

Marooned

Azul Añil

Bathing at sunset

Sunny days by the sea

Sunny day at sea

City boat ferry

Summer Yacht Club

Sailboats on the sea horizon

Shadows of City Life

Blue Tranquility

Sailing towards a dream

Coastal comfort

Sailboats at sea

Orange sunset in the sea

Holidays in Venice

Admire the sunset at sea

Across the sea expanses