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

Dreams

Checking the waves

The last kites

Sunset on the sea

Blue Galaxy, minimalistic dripping abstraction Pollock’s Style

Series “Between Heaven and Earth” - turquoise blue

Watkins Glen State Park in New York City. Impasto impressionism painting.

Côte d'azur, enfin les vacances

Air etude

Sail boats S 1

Under the sea - Abstraction, exploration de paysages émotionnels

Seaside Rendezvous XL 20

La coque rouge

Échouage

Sable pourpre

Marée basse - collection spéciale Grands Formats

Mer, comme on est bien ici

Caribbean Dream

Les pieds dans l’eau, la tête ailleurs

La côte rose

Promenade des Anglais

Sunset as the fall approaches

La côte 1b

Majorelle #32

Reflets du matin... (Esprit voile 2024)

Jamais deux sans trois... (Album d’enfants)

La tête dans les nuages... (Album d’enfants)

Mon petit coin de paradis

AV_Miami_011

Estran

Aurore d'été... (Esprit voile 2021)

The Light

Self-Aware

Owl

Paisible été à Saint Tropez

Un petit tour dans le golfe de Saint Tropez

Fishes

Fishing nets

Tropical Coral Reef Underwater painting was made underwater at the depth of 8 meters

Red Fish Stream

Ocean

MERVEILLEUX SUD,DU BLEU DANS LA MER

Varenna. Lake Como. Italy

Under water

Tropics Painting Coral Reef Fish Original Oil on Canvas Impasto Painting

Lone cypress

Element of water

Rocky shore

A wave on the sea

Magical Amalfi Coast

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat 2

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Evening. Laguna Beach

Light on water 11

Ocean. Light 18

French coast

Seascape

Light on the water 44

Light on the water 39

North Wind

Raw tenderness

Palms. Ocean 12

Glare on the water 33

More Energy colorful blue turquoise expressionism gripping abstraction

Warm light on the water

Ocean Glow 3