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

Magnificent Cyclades

Drak night II

Sea breeze

Varangeville - Côte normande

A la plage, l'heure du bain.

Bathers

Baigneuses

Summer in Mallorca

Jeux de plage

Crossing over

Summer morning

Storm Warning

Endless Light

Blue sea in Miengo

Chrysler Building

Sunset Joy on the Shore

Je veux bien

Where two worlds meet III

Land Before Time 1

Kotor Corner

Barbarian sea spit

South Town

At the Laspi

Balaclava

Les Jumelles

Le Volleyeur

Jusqu'au bout du monde

Corail kaki

Corail orange et noir

1427

Without WiFi

Free Sea - Baltic Sea

Beach Study

Crumbling Ice

Sea Turtles

Balcony

Surf Summer

Evening near Malia. Crete

Breaking The Surface

Seaside Reverie

Underwater Abstract Blue

Ablazing horizon

Underwater Turquoise

Two sailboats at sea

Harbour, night

La tour

Normandie, soir

Dunes At Sunset

Blue Lagoon

Première sortie

Marzo

Tuscan Holiday

Triptyque au carborundum, Fonds Marins

Empreintes de mer

Emmène-moi nulle part

Seul je respire

Jurkalne wave

Effervescent Coast

Rêverie matinale

No Bake Shred

Reflections

The Ocean Soothes My Soul

Blue Coast

Shine A Light

Blue Sea Serenade

La marche des flots