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

Diavasi

Mer et silhouettes 026

Connection

Summer walks. Adriatic

Underwater Light Blue No2

Summer impressions. Cafe. Croatia

Sunset on the lake

French Riviera Series 2024 - seascape horizon blue

French Riviera, turquoise horizon

Blue skyline - 3D, ocean, water wave, gold leaf

Blue seascape - 3D, ocean, water wave, gold leaf

Night Sea - dark minimalism landscape, water, seascape

Spring on Côte d'Azur , Marine, seascape. Sunset, skyline, turquoise waves

From the series Infinite Flight

Blue hour

Evening light

Series “Between Heaven and Earth” - turquoise blue

Dreaming

Blue Galaxy 1702023

Ocean Porthole #18

Silent Night

Emotion

Marine Melody

Leitmotif sur une Ondulation II (paysage marin, mer, vagues)

Beginning to shine

Cadaques

Tempête

Les estrans (série)

Les estrans (série)

Pins au bord de la mer, Bretagne

Stormy Wave

New Day

Vagues

Harbor

Aqua alta

Sans titre

Beauport

Sans titre (diptyque)

Finestra sul mare 381286

Dramatic Seascape with Stormy Sky

Lake Dreams

Tides of Tranquility

Timeless Beauty

Radiance of the Riviera

Dawning sea

The prospect of rest

In the cobweb mast

Ruins of civilization

Evening on the shore

Breath of Nature

Bay of Balos

Last rays of the sun

Evening sea

Amber Surf

Figures on beach

Stormy Open Water Blues

Grey Beach Day. Parasols

XXXL Ocean of Emotion

Sea & sand

Horizon 12

Baltic_Ice_Kakumaee_005

La nuit des voiliers... (Esprit voile 2016)

Sunset Sails

Paysage Marin 17

Peaceful in morning

My dream