Paintings reflect several types of emotions such as emotional, psychological, even spiritual levels of the human condition. A deep stare into a painting can make you cry, laugh, remember cherished moments, have a greater understanding and perception of events, activities, and life itself. One can even connect with the painter directly and share emotions, and so much more.

You would notice that nothing is mentioned about what the painting is or its actual meaning. That is because an oil painting of a flower in a garden, for instance, might have more meaning than just “a flower in the garden” and can have a wide spectrum of meanings. Similarly, a particular type of painting that gives a strong connection is Seascape paintings.

Seascape paintings are unique due to the visual and leave a deep emotional punch behind on the audience. The aura of imagination fixated upon a single image that has lots of meaning. This article brings to you that great connection you can find in the five most popular ocean paintings.

1. Ship at Sea, Sunset, by Edward Moran



Edward Moran is one of the most famous painters of seascape painting. His paintings always made fabulous statements and literally bring life into the sea just at a glance. The Ship at Sea, Sunset is one of his greatest masterpieces that combines the gorgeous sunset hue, elegantly radiating on the unsettling raging ocean.

Like the painters of his time (the nineteenth century), Moran's canvases depicted historic features and occurrences. The Ship at Sea, Sunset, depicts the tension of the United States of America, towards the end of the nineteenth century when they were ferociously aiming towards modernization and major world power.

2. The Ninth Wave (1850) by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky



The ninth wave was a painting done by the Russian marine painter, Ivan Aivazovsky in 1850 and is widely perceived to the artist’s best work. The painting got its name from an old sailing expression referring to a wave of great size coming after increasing large waves.

The picture shows people in great danger from an incoming storm, holding on to a piece of what looks like a wrecked ship. The wreckage is in the shape of a cross, depicting a Christian metaphor of the sailors seeking salvation. It also shows the darkness of the night, broken up by sunrise glory as a sign of hope.

3. Monk by the Sea 1809 by Caspar David Friedrich



Another exceptional painting by a German artist, Caspar Friedrich, Monk by the sea, captures a monk standing at the shore of a sea looking towards it. There is an in-depth meaning of this vastness of the land, sea, and sky, and a monk surrendering himself at the awe. It may presume as though he is looking for some answers in that abyss he finds himself.

The location in the painting has been identified to be an island in Germany where the painter frequents his paintings. Friedrich worked for two years on this masterpiece (between 1808-1810), delivering an aesthetic that influenced other great painters like Gustave Courbet and James Abbot McNeil Whistler later on in that century. The tranquility in this painting with the exceptional use of light and dark shades makes it popular.

4. Terrace at the Seaside, Sainte-Adresse, by Claude Oscar Monet



Aha! The modernist artist, Claude Oscar Monet, depicts the summer of 1867 which he had spent with his family. Monet had a different style of art for that century and his masterpieces consist mainly of current happenings of his time, rather than historical changes or events.

An obvious trait of this painting is the great use of colors and the division into three layers- the land (terrace), ocean, and the sky. You could feel the ocean breeze as depicted on the flapping flags, and the warmth of the sun beautifully highlighted by the shadows. The ability to recreate that event of a calm sunny afternoon in a modern way with an eye to detail, although dated in 1867, was profound.

5. The Fighting 'Téméraire' tugged to her last Berth to be broken up by Joseph Mallord William Turner



Another most popular seascape painting to be mentioned in this article is by Joseph Turner. The artist is very well known for his paintings of the sea and his vivid use of light in them. The Téméraire is the ship being towed depicting the fall of the old British Empire.

The illustration of the thick clouds, the sunset, its rays into the ocean body is a feast for the eyes. Combining all those colors and still passing along a message was brilliant. Overall, those features made this painting stand out among its peers.

The Bottom Line
We hope this article brought you some warmth and tranquility just the ocean flaunts. While you can be an audience to these paintings in the museums, they can be recreated by excellent artists at the 1st Art Gallery who make sure to keep the originality and uniqueness intact. To savor the artistry of these paintings wherever you want them, and share the feeling among friends and loved ones, visit https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Nautical/Ocean-Scenes.html.