seascape and art history

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Introduction to Seascape By ArtHistory.net

Seascapes refer to art works that depict the sea. These works may be paintings,etchings, engravings, or even photographs. While some people may refer to thedepiction of the sea as Marine art or Maritime art, the term seascape is most commonlyused to reflect the marine genre. The term originated around the year 1790 and wasmodeled after the term landscape. Seascapes typically depict views at sea or viewsfrom the shore. The ocean, beaches, coastlines, ships at sea, nautical images­­theseelements make up seascape art works.

Strictly speaking, reference to Maritime Art not only reflects the sea, but humaninteraction with it; these works would include ships or beach­goers, for instance. Marineart, on the other hand, refers to works that simply reflect the sea or coasts of the sea.The term seascape popularly refers to both Maritime Are and Marine Art.

Interestingly, reference to the term seascape refers to the subject of the art work­­notthe medium used or style employed by the artist. While the term seascape becamepopular between 1790 and 1800, art works depicting the sea stretch back to antiquity.Throughout time artists have been inspired by the sea and have created works tocapture it on rock walls, paintings, etchings, pottery, and even tapestries. Early works,for example, like Odysseus and the Sirens, dates to 480 B.C. in Greece. Artists havecreated seascapes by employing a wide array of artistic styles such as Realism,Romantic Art, Impressionism, and Modernism.

Seascapes have been a popular genre of art particularly from 17 th through 19 thcenturies. This coincides with the Golden Age of Sale and Europe's colonization ofvarious far­flung lands around the globe. Beginning with the end of the Middle Ages,artists began to pay increasing attention to this artistic genre as global explorationadvanced. During the Dutch Golden Age of Painting (17th century), Dutch artists becameparticularly associated with seascape paintings, though maritime nations like Englandwith its vast navy and their artists also favored seascapes.

There is a myriad of seascape works that are acclaimed internationally and showcasedwithin the world's most illustrious museums. Some celebrated seascapes include NavalBattle in the Gulf of Naples (1558) by Peter Brueghel, The Shipwreck (1772) by ClaudeJoseph Vernet, The Jetty of Calais (1803) by J.M.W. Turner (renowned seascape artist),Christ on the Sea of Galilee (1854) by Eugene Delacroix, Ships at Le Havre (1887) by

Eugene Boudin, De Haven (1875) by Berthe Morisot, and The Wave (1870) by GustaveCourbet. Similarly, there are also an astounding number of seascape works ofphotography. A notable series includes those taken by Frank Hurley, photographer of theShackleton expedition, while he was stranded with the ship's crew in Antarctica.

See Also: Megalodon Shark ­ America's Best Aquariums ­ Beautiful Ocean Spots ­ Giant Squid

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