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

Corniche des Iles

Blue pines - Loving trees N°3

Storm tent

Mediterranean landscape expressionist abstract # 01

La ronde des maisons

Moment When the World Changes

Vitamin Sea

Joy to the soul

Meet me where the sky touches the sea

Always choose enjoyment

Wild Heart, Open Soul

L'île sainte

Tumulte

Morning Stillness

Abstract Seascape in Aqua and Beige

Himmel #3

Dark Materials VI

Silent Depth

Beach day

Almost Abstract Landscape - 1 (Ocean)

AV_Cruiseship_003

Romantic Evening by the Sea

Calme au crépuscule

Before falling asleep

Soleil cuisant

Il y a ...

Porto

La lumière te trouvera toujours

La soeur du vent

Porto Pollo_14

L I N E S - Grey Coast

Red Sails, 2008

Le petit voilier bleu turquoise et or... (Esprit voile)

Be happy

Entre deux mondes

Bleu infini

Arctic

A l'horizon

Exil

Vol de nuit

Rivages

Stingray

The present moment is all you have (stretched)

Salt & Stillness - Diptych (stretched)

Blue

Fluid horizon XXXIV

Fluid horizon XLVI

Fluid horizon IL

La Grandeur d'Esprit

En Apesanteur

L'Equilibre des Choses

La Sortie du Bain

Retour de fregate

En tête à tête... (Esprit Voile)

En solitaire… (paysage abstrait 2020)

Entre les pins

Couleurs de voile... (Esprit Voile)

Unis…

Falaises

Lumières du soir

Sous le vent... (Esprit Voile)

Les mâts du soleil levant... (Esprit voile)

Été indien... (Esprit voile 2021)

Lumière côtière

Mer bleu

Coast of lights