1171 artworks found. The marine painting is an art genre that focuses on nautical themes. Marine and ships of their time, ports, coasts or the open sea are the subject of this art genre. In addition to the calm sea, the nature experience also includes stormy scenes in which waves and wind tear ships apart.
The origins of marine painting date back to the 17th century in the Netherlands. So it should not be surprising that the interest in marine painting was accompanied by the rise of the Netherlands to the naval power. Certainly ship representations were nothing new in art. For the most part, these were mythological or religious scenes. However, this genre of art did not develop into an independent topic until this time in the Netherlands, whereby the distinction from other genres is not always easy. Thus, many paintings are attributed to landscape painting, while others, which show especially naval battles or other historical events, belong to history painting. The religious and mythological scenes did not disappear, but completed the wide range of topics. At the end of the 17th century, the flowering through the two Van de Veldes, with which the marine painting also spread outside the Netherlands and continues to this day.
An important representative is
Claude Joseph Vernet. The French painter worked in the 18th century and was best known for his portrayals of French ports. His focus was particularly on the French military and commercial ports. His paintings give us a historical insight into the shipping of his time. The Englishman William Turner, who was active in the 19th century, was influenced by the van den Veldes and subsequently inspired abstract art with his menacing or peaceful, low-profile sea views. In his works, water and light merged together, while the objectivity dissolved.