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

Ocean magic

Waltz of glare on the water.

Estran

Three chords

L'île sainte

Et le temps s'arrête

Ciel et mer en Normandie

Estuary

Seaside Rendezvous S 3

Seaside Rendezvous XL 24

Seaside Evening Rendezvous XL 1

Seaside Rendezvous XL 23

Coucher de soleil

Dark Materials VI

Rive de Bretagne

On Chesil Beach

Simplicité édition d'art

Yellow Submarine (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues)

Seascape blue minimalism - Sunset, skyline, turquoise waves

Week-end en provence

AV_Cruiseship_003

Entre deux mondes

Bleu infini

Arctic

A l'horizon

Exil

Vol de nuit

Rivages

Ocean Music

Pink sunset on the sea

Before falling asleep

Wildclouds above purple sky

Surfspot

Castle. Khust

L I N E S - Grey Coast

Le phare

La barque blanche

Le bassin

La bouée

Rivage

Sous le vent

Cabanons des pêcheurs

Toi et moi

Horizon bleu

Arbre rouge

Be happy

The present moment is all you have (stretched)

Awaiting the Unseen

Glow of summer days (stretched)

Romantic Evening by the Sea

Turquoise Blue Wave XL 3

Seaside Rendezvous XL 19

Stingray

Surfer

Blue in green by Miles (paysage marin, ciel, mer, nuages, vagues, orage)

La Grandeur d'Esprit

En Apesanteur

L'Equilibre des Choses

La Sortie du Bain

En tête à tête... (Esprit Voile)

Lumière de voile… (Esprit voile)

En solitaire… (paysage abstrait 2020)

Entre les pins

Couleurs de voile... (Esprit Voile)

Unis…

Sous le vent... (Esprit Voile)