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

Meeting the sea

On the sea coast

Fortress by the sea

City embankment

Tender Sea

Flow pass02_4479

Flow pass17_4499

Chez Soi

Cancale

Sea Spaces

Aqua seas 210719

Seashell

Dualité sous-marine

Ile d'Aix n°8 (mer, landes)

Before The Rain

Beyond the sea no. 3824

Amarrage

Santé

Cap ouest

Marée basse

Bien dormi

Eclats d’écume

Storming

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset

Embarcadero

Coast

Sea Lagoon

Reflection

Liberté

Hissez les voiles

Laguna Beach. California 3

Eruption of Colour

Testing The Waters

Abstract Seascape Clouds – Blue & White Acrylic on Canvas (42 × 59 cm, 2025)

Blue Tranquility

Jade Mermaid

Tiny whales from above

Vacances dans le Var

Une mer Cinq terres

Sailing regatta in the storm

Light Surf, Chesil Beach

Série Lignes blanches - Soleil couchant

Un été en mer... (Esprit Voile)

Plage de Tahiti, Carantec

Fons marí

Ice Cream

Guidel II

XXL Tranquil Shores

Sea decor

Daft punk surfers paradise

Premiers émois

Confidences en bleu

Hone

Rhossili Bay

Heavenly Sentinel

Dance of Waves and Light

Winds of Étretat

Dans la vague

Set of 21 Cyanotype photograhs mounted in high resistance glass dish

Brume et Reflets

Tossa de Maria

Sailing is not for everyone

Toutes à l’eau – rose jaune

Algas 45-IV

Esponjas 8, 11 y 16

Medusas 11, 12 y 13