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

Comet YK

Paysage Marin 17

Seagulls on the move

Praias_De_Formas_024

Praias_De_Formas_023

Praias_De_Formas_012

Arrival at the beach

Lacanau Beach mini

Au coeur de l'eau

AV_Miami_17

Hot summer day

Warm French coast

Serenade of the Serene Lake

Mer Rouge - Collection Vibrations

Tempête - Collection Vibrations

Vibrations - Collection Vibrations

Mer - Collection Femme à la Peau Bleue

Ocean Motion

Magnificent Amalfi Coast

Mirror of vibrance

Dream of sea and color

A taste of Positano

?N INSPIRING DAY

Vernazza Cinque Terre iItaly - impasto sea landscape, Italian coast

Les reflets du ciel et de la mer... (Esprit voile 2021)

Poussé par les vagues... (Esprit Voile)

Le voyageur... (Esprit Voile)

Afloat

Summer walks. Adriatic

Summer impressions. Cafe. Croatia

Nirvana

Blue sky in Santorini

A bold expectation

Voiles au vent

Bouillon

Retrato femenino

Les Escales

Shell Design Sculpture

Twilight Ocean

Movik I

Transition III

Le gardien du désert salé

Colorful wink

Family sail

Vue mer 2 - Paysage abstrait marin

Vue mer 1 - Paysage abstrait marin

Sun on the sea

Ocean of desire

Infinitude

Sky

Sail Boats And Clouds L 1

Seascape sailing impressions XL 25

Sail boats L 5

Stormy sailing Regatta M 1

Seascape sailing impressions XL 24

Sailing Adventure XL 1

Couleurs en mer...

Godless

Miami_III_03

PLAGE DE L'OUEST, DOUCE MAREE

People in brown

Sunset longboard girl

Volcanic objects

At the sunny sea

XXXL Ocean of Emotion

Morning calm