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

Touch III

Tide Water 1 & 2

Walking on dreams

Sea of dreams

Nirvana

Le Confident Gonflable

Morning Venice and the Gondolier

Couleurs à l'horizon… (Esprit voile)

Diagonal

Au lever du jour... (Esprit voile 2021)

À bon port... (Esprit voile 2022)

La Baule frisquet, on sort

Evening Venice

Walk. Seascape original painting

Light on water 11

Ocean. Light 18

French coast

Evening glare on the water 9

Light on the water 44

Light on the water 39

Silver shimmering

Subsidence

Almost Abstract Landscape - 1 (Ocean)

Sea III

Whisper of the Tides

La lumière te trouvera toujours

La soeur du vent

Island

Shine

Energy of the sea.

Selfie

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

Infini

Paysage ostréicole

Infini

Ensemble pour un voyage

Le cabanon rose

Golden sunset of Monaco

Indigo

Sable d’or

Transformation

Under the sea - Abstraction, exploration de paysages émotionnels

Sud

Ella

Ginestart

A travers les pins - Calanque du port d'Alon

Porto Pollo_14

Seascape sailing impressions L 5

Sunset as the fall approaches

Rêverie... (Esprit Voile)

À marée basse... (Esprit Voile)

Seaside Rendezvous L 18

Quiétude en mer…

Lumière du soir... (Esprit Voile)

Évasion… (Expression libre)

Falaises

Lumières du soir

L'horizon infini... (Esprit Voile)

Aux premières lueurs du jour...

Passion en mer... (Esprit Voile)

Horizon d'été... (Esprit Voile)

Battement d'ailes... (Paysage Abstrait)

Un ciel de liberté... (Paysage Abstrait 2022)

L'envolée marine... (Paysage Abstrait)

Un ciel de liberté... (Paysage Abstrait 2022)

La danse XXI