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

Sunset Over The Sea

Sinemoretz village

Paradise

Pebbles and Shells V

Dock FL

N.O.B.O.D.Y (Cottonou, Benin)

Sourire méditerranéen

La visita II

Fuori stagione

Anfitriona

Marilyn Monroe 1962. New baby in silver

Enigmi d'estate

Nu à la mer

Fonds marins

Marilyn Monroe. Bungalow

Paysages Irlandais 15

Meadown

Laguna Beach View

Malibu Rocks #2

Matador Beach, Malibu

Cabo Rojo view Puerto Rico

Crow's Nest Saugatuck, MI

Kanan Dune Road Malibu

Light on the water 10

Light on the water 6.

Sky. Ocean.

Ocean. The sun.

Silver of the ocean 2

Ocean. Sky. Light 2.

Blue water. Light.

Sun glare on the water.

Evening glare 3.

Gold sparks on the water.

Sea. Light 13.

Evening glare on the water 7

Glare in emerald water.

Glare of the sun on the water 5.

The silence of the ocean 2.

Awakening. Glare on the water.

Ocean. Palm trees. Beach

California. Beach. Ocean.

La Baule frisquet, on sort

Seaside Rendezvous XXXL 3

Nymph of the fading sun

Shine

Best wave I

Keep your cool

Mer et silhouettes 028

Mer et silhouettes 044

Mer et silhouettes 022

Mer et silhouettes 041

Mer et silhouettes

Mer et silhouettes

Reflections of Serenity

Into the Blue

Lacanau océan

La coque rouge

Échouage

Sable pourpre

Rayon de soleil après un orage, mer Noire en juin

Rivage ensoleillé

Mouillage au sud

Entre les vagues

Stormy Open Water Blues

Grey Beach Day. Parasols

Nima