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

Soothing Turquoise

Full Sails

Autumn Port

Reef

Infinitude

Sunrise

Digital Lavender romantic sunset

L'émotion de la mer

Morning in Marbella

Pure Life

Yantarnoe, 27/02/2021, 20h14

Viaje

The Surfer

Shadows of Paros on the Water

Whisper of the Turquoise Wind

Docked in Silence

Silence No.7

Sea and mountains

Game with waves

Tide Time

L'Eau Vive

Village de pêcheurs

Simplicité

Rowers

Sidi Bou Said

Pas peur

VéNus 01 #echafaudage

Venetian Serenity

Clair de lune

Harbour, night

Amber Rose Window,

Paysage avec des pêcheurs, Normandie

Vendée Globe 3

La mer

Sail Boats And Clouds L 1

Seascape sailing impressions XL 25

Stormy Sea

Sail boats L 5

Stormy sailing Regatta M 1

Seascape sailing impressions XL 24

Sailing Adventure XL 1

100th Anniversary Celebration Coffret # 12 - By the sea

Venice in silver

Régate 3

Evening Riomaggiore

Vent et voile... (Esprit Voile) (1)

Sea. Serenity 3

Régate d'été... II (esprit voile 2016)

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

Ghats de Pushkar 2. Inde

Baleine à bosse. Nouveau Mexique

Buffles sous le pont d'Agra. Inde

Crocodile. Pantanal. Brésil

Cap vers le large. Voile d'Antibes

Cap au large. Grande Armada du siècle. Voile

La grande Armada du siècle. Rouen. Voile 3

Morning by the coast