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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Subcategories

Sea

Empreintes de mer

Emmène-moi nulle part

Seul je respire

What Is There?

Seascape navy - Sunset, skyline, Water waves (1)

Seascape blue - Sunset, skyline, Water waves

Sunny Beach, pine trees and agaves

Shrimp Boat Eagle,

Sunset in Greece

Triptyque au carborundum, Fonds Marins

Abstract Clouds n°307

Bretagne

Phare de Sanary-sur-mer

Un chapeau à la mer N°3

Element of the Earth V

Warm summer waves

Walensee. Impression of Heidiland.

L'Eau Vive

Sicilian beach

Drak night II

Temporal Perception #114

Les deux phares

A la plage, l'heure du bain.

Bathers

Baigneuses

Summer in Mallorca

Jeux de plage

- Rodeo 2

Crossing over

Jurkalne wave

Summer morning

Storm Warning

Odessa Yachts

Without WiFi

Vendée Globe 2

Baie Sitia

Baie de la Chania

Flowers by the sea

A pod of Killer Whale

Green seascape

Lake in the evening

The Green Lake (Grüner See), Austria,

Blue sea

Black Sea Coastline

Deep blue water - 3d plaster minimalism impressionist seascape navy black

Green dark lake

Blue Bodensee, seascape, water, sky

Where two worlds meet III

Land Before Time 1

Sisters at the Beach

PLAGE DE L'OUEST, DOUCE MAREE

Les Jumelles

Le Volleyeur

The whispers of the coast

Two sailboats at sea

Charming Cliffview

Jusqu'au bout du monde

Summer breeze escape

Le Phare de Cordouan

Plage du Roux n°5 (paysage marin, ciel, mer calme, nuages, vagues)

Saint Palais n°6 (paysage marin, ciel, mer calme, nuages)

Pointe Espagnole n°4 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues)

Royan n°16 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, marée basse, plage)

Ile d'Aix n°15 (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues)

Ile d'Aix n°7 (paysage marin semi-abstrait, mer, vagues)

Normandie, soir