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

Entre les vagues

Nues V

Permafrost

Blue Lagoon

The Beach in Corfu

Cloudy night

Evening Venice

Walk along the embankment

Stay wild

In the dark

Night in blue

Full moon time

Matière Bleue

Morning calm

Blue abstract painting BC458

Blue abstract painting SL433

Midnight Blue

Light #4

Light #21

Blue #40

Le dernier retour de la lune

Peaceful beach

The Surfer

No Comment

AV_Miami_016

Moonlit night at sea

Night storm

Beachtime 24

Venetian Serenity

The Path to the Sun

Sunset in the Port

Thrilling Essence of Race

La lecture

Vacances en Provence

Himmel #4

Temporal Perception #37

Miami_II_003

Golden bay

Emerald

Grotto

Abstract Navigation

Océan au Crépuscule

Black night sunset

Green lake in summer

Blue water - 3d minimalism impressionist seascape

Night lake in Ukraine

Coastline - Impressionist abstraction blue seascape

Ocean wave - sky line, underwater

Abstract Coral Reef

Hawaii Coral Reef

Lake Maggiore blue sea

Adria_Panorama_01

Versilia_Panorama_04

Versilia_Panorama_02

Versilia_Panorama_01

AV_Cruiseship_Panorma

Before The Rain

Yacht at the pier

Royan n°15 (mer, landes)

Round Ocean #85

Ile d'Oléron n°1 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues, océan)

Yachts at sea

Round Ocean #86

Sailboats

Evening coast of Riomaggiore

The snorkelist