Saturday, August 20, 2011

Seascape Oil Paintings Never Lose Dramatic Appeal

By Dorothy Dixon


Seascape oil paintings have never lost their appeal to art collectors. And artists remain enthralled with this motif after two centuries of art production. The challenge of painting water in its full splendor keeps artists studying the light effects, weather conditions and moods of a body of water.

It is also true that art collectors are attracted to seascapes when looking to purchase. With the Impressionists, seascapes gained in status. These men and women painted in all the varying conditions, times of day and light patterns. Before them, the English watercolorists made painting water popular with ethereal effects that have not been replicated to this day. That does not mean artists have given up trying.

A seascape can be about special effects or it can be about the everyday life at the seashore. Some artists love to paint boats and they do so with delight. Others prefer rocks and the rugged land surrounding a body of water. Some like to capture people and animals at the beach and others prefer harbor scenes. All of these motifs are categorized as seascapes.

Birds are often portrayed in seascapes. In fact all of nature is included. Some seascapes are loaded with details: harbors, ships, sunbathers, birds, dogs and beach umbrellas. These elements set the scene and add character to what is essentially the depiction of water. Illustrators love to fill the tableau with all the ephemera of the busy world.

Artists in the modern age may take a different modus operandi and go for minimalism. Using a monochromatic hue structure and few lines, they create the vastness and mystery of the sea. These seascapes are not about the details of life but about the mystical oneness of nature, removed from the concerns of everyday living.

Seascape oil paintings will never lose their appeal. Artists will never give up trying to depict this vast, surprising motif. Art collectors will never tire of looking at them on their walls. To look at a seascape is to feel the air, the movement, the light at a certain time of day. They invite you to contemplate the mystery of nature. Nothing is more mystical than the sea. Read more about: seascape oil paintings




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