Marine art is that which focuses on marine-related themes. This can include depictions of the sea or other waterways, marine life, or human seafaring.
The sea has been a focus of visual art for centuries, but the genre was at its peak during the 17th to 19th centuries. This genre can be seen exemplified in almost any Burnett painting, where marine themes dominate the scene.
1. Gustave Courbet
A French national born during the 19th century, Courbet challenged the art schools of his time by developing a unique style. While his works sometimes intersected with the Romantic or Neoclassical styles of the day, he maintained a realism that was key in his depictions of his personal experiences.
Political subjects were common during Courbet’s early career, but this changed as the political climate around him became more charged. This shift caused Courbet to seek less inspiration from literary figures such as Victor Hugo, and find it elsewhere.
Courbet painted a variety of natural subjects, including a number of marine themes. One marine painting that displays Courbet’s style is The Wave (La Vague), 1869. This work captures the simplicity and minimal use of color found in Neoclassicism while maintaining the emotional intensity typical of Romanticism.
2. Robert Henri
Known for his work in the Ashcan School of American realism, Henri was known as an artist that wanted to break down the restrictive rules of artistic thinking at the time.
The Ashcan School was an unorganized artistic movement that included art that was not as similar in technique as it was in the subject matter. Henri, along with George Luks, John Sloan, and other artists worked to capture the raw, dark, or otherwise “inappropriate” depictions that the overarching art community found unpleasant.
Henri’s talent in realism is perhaps most visible in his marine paintings. His work Marine Storm Sea is a perfect example of this. The piece captures a coastal scene, where rough seas crash against exposed rocks. Similar works include Marine with Rocks and Rough Seas Near Lobster Point.
3. Winslow Homer
American painter, Winslow Homer, was born in Massachusetts in 1836. He began his career as a commercial illustrator, before later moving on to become a career artist. Homer’s frequent travels to Florida and the Caribbean are detailed in his oeuvres, explaining his focus on marine themes.
Homer’s strength in marine themes is exemplified in his 1899 painting, The Gulf Stream. The focal point of the piece is a man on a small boat attempting to sail through treacherous seas. Having apparently survived a sea storm, the man is now surrounded by sharks breaching the surface. The man in the painting is shown resigned to his fate, but it leaves the viewer wondering if he would be saved.
4. Simon de Vlieger
Born around 1601 in Rottingham, Vlieger was a painter during the Dutch Golden Age. He came to be known as one of the most famous marine painters in the Netherlands during the 1630s and 1640s.
Vlieger’s style featured a highly realistic use of color, as well as significant detail.
Vlieger’s work inspired a number of future Dutch painters, including Adriaen van de Velde and Jan van de Cappelle, among others. His work would go on to be regarded as some of the most influential of the entire Dutch Golden Age.
Vlieger’s style is best displayed in his work, Ship in Distress off a Rocky Coast. Vlieger’s color choice accurately captures the depth of color in both the sea and sky. Each wave is painted in exquisite detail, conveying danger through the white caps that can be seen crashing across the canvas.
5. Fitz Henry Lane
Lane is another American painter from Massachusetts. He was known for his unique use of light, which came to be known as a style called “luminism.” This style mixed well with Lane’s frequent depiction of marine themes.
Lane had spent time around the water since his youth, so it makes sense that he would go on to become a marine painter. His immense skills in the genre are able to be seen in The Fort and Ten Pound Island, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1847.
The work features a stark relationship between light and dark, as well as an incredible amount of detail. Those features can be seen in his other works: Fishing Party,1855, Boston Harbor, 1854, and Lumber Schooners at Evening on Penobscot Bay, 1863, among others.
Conclusion
The peak of marine art during the 17th to 19th centuries produced many paintings that are still discussed today. From depictions of crashing seas to great scenes of sailing ships, marine art has deep roots in art history. These five artists are but a few of many who excelled in marine art, leaving many more to be discovered by art lovers everywhere.
