Tuesday, June 30, 2009

William Robinson - Australian


Seascape with Morning Star, 110 x 246 cm
I like the way the view of the sea has been contained, as if in a glass.
William Robinson stylises the landscape, tiliting and gently distorting elements to give a dreamlike effect.
The huge scale of his canvases evokes a sense of the monumental.

Alexei Vasilievitch Hanzen - Russian


Seascape, c. 1930

Louis Auguste Lepere - French 1849-1918


Falaises au bord de la mer
(Cliffs by the Sea)
102 x 76 cm

This work looks as though it may have faded substantially, but the calm neutral tones produce a kind of timeless monumentality, and the sculptural arrangement of cliffs enclosing a small area of seawater is fascinating. Massing - the design of abstract shapes of light and shadow - is what characterises the great paintings of the old masters, not just deft brushwork or high quality hand-ground oils (indeed, this painting may have deteriorated due to having been painted with unstable pigments).
Seascape painting, like the still life genre, has been diminished in the public imagination because of an excess of cliched compositions. It's refreshing to see seascape painters who have looked beyond the obvious views of sand and waves for something that has interesting abstract design qualities. This is not to say that there are not original compositions of sand and waves to be found.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Eric Joyner - American


Out to Sea, 22 x 33 inches
Eric Joyner is known for depicting a surreal world of animate toys and giant donuts.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Donald Demers - American


By the Morning Surf, 12 x 18 inches
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The main centre of interest - the white foam catching the morning light - is situated at a Golden Mean sweet spot.
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Images copyright Donald Demers

Don Hatfield - American


Treasure Found, 24 x 36 inches
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Contemporary impressionism. Lovely opalescent colours.

William Clarkson Stanfield - British 1793-1867


On the Dogger Bank

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Eric Hudson 1864-1932


Fishing Boats, Monhegan, 28 x 34 inches
Light tones over a dark underpainting.

William Bradford 1823-1892


Redbay, Labrador, 7 x 14 inches
The unusual orange sky complements the blues. An elaborate frame needs a plain inner frame to give the image breathing space.

Edward Moran


Schooners off Baltimore Shore, 18 x 36 inches

Friday, June 19, 2009

Vilhelm Melbye


Shipping off Gibraltar
detail

Konstantinos Maleas - Greek


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Love the simplicity, and the turquoise shades, in this work.

Gustav Klimt, Austrian 1862 1918


Attersee
Add Image
This is not really marine art - the Atter-see is a large lake, not salt water (German 'see' is not exactly the same as English 'sea'). But then Klimt can't be blamed for living in a landlocked country. A great evocation of an expanse of water through minimalist composition in a square format.
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Island in the Attersee
If you are on to a great idea - do another version of it.

Robert W Wood, English American


South Laguna, 24 x 48 inches


Tumbling Surf

David Gallup - American


Fading Light, 30 x 30 inches
Leaving the sky out of the composition gives an abstract quality.
The addition of flying birds breathes air into the painting.

Charles H Gifford American 1839-1904


Coastal View at Sunset, 8.5 x 6 inches



detail

As discussed in earlier posts, the small ship in the distance, though seemingly insignificant, is critical to the composition.


Emil Gruppe - American 1900-1976


Cresting Waves, 10 x 14 inches
Apparently, Gruppe did 100's of small oil sketches of the sea.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Claude Monet - French


Belle-Ile, rain effect


Rocks at low tide, Pourville



Point of Rocks at Port-Goulphar


These seascapes by Monet illustrate the point made in the earlier post about the importance of maintaining tonal contrast. While celebrating colour and brushwork, Monet did not eliminate dark darks and white from his palette.

Jeronimus Diest (attributed to)





I love the rhythm established in the clouds.

Montague Dawson


Going with the Wind, Mid-Atlantic, 61.6 x 92.1 cm
detail
The brushwork in the water is wonderfully deft.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Unknown - American





Impressionist brushwork gives vibrancy to this work.
People think of Impressionist painting as being all bright colour, but the Impressionists used white and black (or near black) more than is generally thought. Though full of colour, this work maintains a strong tonal range from the sunlit dunes to the shadows under the tree.

Alexander Young


Watching the Waves on Brighton Beach

Jay Connaway


Claude Joseph Vernet - French


Coastal Scene in a Storm, 1782 (detail)

Thursday, June 11, 2009