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

Porquerolles plage

Code 2225

Nice evening

Walking on the beach

Charter Ketch

Marbella house party

Marbella house party

Fracas

Océan

Wave. Original painting

Fondo marino

Full moon in the bay

Rupture

Pirate bay

Seas

Miroir d'eau

On the sea coast

Life

Scent of the Sea

Fortress by the sea

City embankment

The earth is round

Carpe Diem

Pinocchio's Insomnia

Une place

Lady surf the ocean

Waves blue horizon 2 - Sunset, skyline, seascape, ocean turquoise waves

Waves blue horizon - Sunset, skyline, seascape, ocean turquoise waves

Hallstatt am Hallstätter See

Clouds are floating

Sunset on the sea - only together

La Playa

Les vignobles de Myskhako. Printemps

Sea Reflections

Favorite Venice

Coastal Calm

Floating people

Port in the Village. Seascape

Evening life on the Amalfi Coast

Silent Reflection

Drak night II

La pointe du Gaou - Cyanotype T2

White sun

Alone with the sea

Couple at sea

Wave light

Gilded Sunset

Wake board

Morning Meeting

Pins de bord de mer

At Sea

Ahead of the wind

Mielno Beach Naturystyczna

Ice Cream

Reflet de soleil à marée basse

Les voiles rouges

Les voiles rouges

Porthcurno Beach

Great big beautiful sea

I'm Rare

Boat with Cloud

Gulls on Chesil Beach

East of Golden Cap

Sète seas

Summer day

The Hour of the Storm