These four paintings were made by the French artist Georges William Thornley (1857-1935).

As you can see here, he specialized in marine paintings. He painted these scenes primarily in Normandy, and he was quite successful during his life. His technique was characterized by the use of thick impasto and bold brush strokes, creating seascapes with an Impressionist feel to them. You can see that quite well in his first work here by looking at how he painted the water and the clouds.

 The beauty of the sea. These four paintings were made by

When the weather along the coast is suddenly changing.

The Coming Storm (1851) was painted by the German artist Hermann Eschke (1823-1900).

It captures the approach of dramatic weather along a rocky coast. It is hard to see much else then the spectacular rocks, the waves hitting the rocky coast, and the changing weather in the sky.

But if you look very carefully, you can see that just behind the obelisk-like rock on the right, there is a ship crashing onto the rocks, and one of the crew members is launched into the air. And the other ships in the distance may be at risk of the same fate.

 When the weather along the coast is suddenly changing. The

Which of the three moonlight scenes I posted today do you like most?

Moonlight in Naples (1842) was painted by the Russian-Armenian artist Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900).

This moonlit scene is painted by the best-known of the three artists today. Aivazovsky was a true specialist in capturing the sea. He created thousands of seascape paintings, and often didn’t even need to study the sea in detail anymore to create accurate water surfaces and the reflection of light on it.

Aivazovsky traveled frequently across Russia, Europe, and the Middle East to capture the most beautiful seascapes and landscapes. But the Bay of Naples had a special place in his heart, due to the spectacular landscape around it, including Mount Vesuvius.

When posting paintings on this account over time, I noticed that many of you enjoy the moonlit scenes a lot. So, I wanted to create a little comparison of some moonlight paintings by posting three different works by three different artists today. I am curious to hear which one, if any, is your favorite.

 Which of the three moonlight scenes I posted today do you

From the Inlet of Oslo (1874) is one of several works Hans Gude (1825-1903) painted of the Norwegian fjords.

The sun is partly obscured by the clouds, but enough sunlight reflects on the waves, which Gude captured with great precision. As the daylight in Scandinavia is not as bright as the landscapes in the rest of Europe, the Scandinavian landscapes have their own feel with a more muted and somber color palette.

For these paintings, Gude used some of the model ships that his brother made as a hobby. It allowed him to capture them in more detail than when he would paint them directly outside.

 Such beautiful waves. From the Inlet of Oslo (1874) is one

Ivan Aivazovksy was appointed as Professor of Seacape Painting at age 30.

And that does not surprise me when looking at Black Sea at Night (1879).

 Ivan Aivazovksy was appointed as Professor of Seacape

Caspar Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) is a wonderful reflective painting.

It is on display in the Kunsthalle Hamburg.

 What will the future bring? Caspar Friedrich's Wanderer

The lion is protecting the ships from up high.

A Coign of Vantage (1895) by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) shows three well-off women standing on a balcony high above the port, watching the ships.

It is a typical Classical scene by Alma-Tadema, showing the wonderful life of the riches in the Roman Empire. The luxurious dresses, colors, and flowers give the hint of a world full of decadence.

And then there are a couple of other noteworthy aspects here. First the way in which Alma-Tadema captured the marble, something that he was very skilled at. And second, can you see the difference between the water and the sky? Alma-Tadema blended them in a creative way, but somehow it does not really distract from the scene we are watching. Third, do you notice the typical Roman galleys in the water?

 The lion is protecting the ships from up high. A Coign of

Based on over 100.000 votes, The Fighting Temeraire (1839) by Turner was chosen as the greatest painting in Britain!

Want to know why? I just made a 2-minute video about this masterpiece (link also in bio):

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j3OlsB5log4

The result is based on a poll organized by BBC Radio 4 in 2005.

 Based on over 100.000 votes, The Fighting Temeraire (1839)

Paintings become not much more dreamlike than those by Claude Lorrain. Seaport at Sunset (1639) shows an idyllic scene in the port, surrounded by classical architecture and a mesmerizing sunset.

This painting is on display in the Louvre, but comparable seascapes and landscapes can be found in other museums around the world.

 Paintings become not much more dreamlike than those by

Lighthouse on a Cliff by Moonlight (1879) was painted by the German artist Hermann Eschke (1823-1900).

Eschke traveled all over Europe during his career as a freelance artist, finding the most beautiful rivers, lakes, and seas. He created a lot of sketches during his travel. And while Eschke occasionally painted his oil paintings en plein air (outside), he usually painted his oil paintings completely in his studio.

This beautiful scene of a lighthouse on the rocks under the moonlight is a great example of how he incorporated the weather circumstances and the light in his marine paintings.

 The beauty of the night. Lighthouse on a Cliff by Moonlight

The Stages of Life is a reflective painting by Caspar David Friedrich. It is shows an old man (Friedrich), two adults, and two children. They are matched by five ships whose distance from the shore indicates their position in the cycle of life.

Friedrich (1774-1840) was an influential German Romantic painter who loved to paint such reflective pieces.

 The Stages of Life is a reflective painting by Caspar David

A daydream about a different kind of world.

Pastoral (1893) was painted by the Australian artist Rupert Bunny (1864-1947) who spent the largest part of his adult life in Europe.

The painting is divided in three different spaces. On the left, we can see some mermaids in the sea. On the right, we see some monkey-like fauns. Connecting both scenes, in the middle, is a handsome couple.

The young man is playing music and the mermaids and fauns (with their hands behind their ears) are listening. And the red poppies? Unlike the painting I posted about earlier today, they do not symbolize something related to death. Instead, here they symbolize sweet dreams.

This painting is not related to a specific mythological story. It is merely a fantasy scene by Rupert Bunny, combining a French coastal landscape with some imaginary figures.

The full painting is a little bit wider than the image I posted here.

 A daydream about a different kind of world. Pastoral (1893)

View from Livadia (1861) by Ivan Aivazovsky shows an idyllic view of a town at the coast of the Black Sea.

It shows the view from Livadia Park in Yalta, nowadays, a resort city in the  Autonomous Republic of Crimea (though its status is fiercely debated internationally, but I won't bore you with that). This place became famous in 1945, when the Yalta Conference was held there at the magnificent Livadia Palace (which was built 50 years after this painting was created). At this conference.the heads of government of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt met to decide the fate of Europe after the defeat of the Nazi Germany.

Aivazovsky (1817-1900) was born about 100 miles northeast of Livadia and knew the area very well. He was mainly specialized in seascapes, but during his incredibly productive career he also painted many beautiful landscapes and city views.

 View from Livadia (1861) by Ivan Aivazovsky shows an

The Water Nymph was painted by the French artist François Martin-Kavel (1861–1931), who specialized in female portraits, ranging from regular portraits, mythological women, to Oriental-themed portraits.

Nymphs are mythological characters who are tied to a specific location or part of nature. They were not like the Ancient Greek and Roman goddesses, but rather a kind of half-god. Not immortal, but they lived much longer than humans.

They are usually good-natured and depicted as beautiful maidens, just as Martin-Kavel did in this work. And after the creepier painting earlier today, I thought it was a good idea to compensate with some happiness...

 Somebody is very happy! The Water Nymph was painted by the

Few people understood the secrets of the sea better than Ivan Aivazovsky.

Ship Amid the Stormy Sea (1887) is one of several thousand paintings Aivazovsky (1817-1900) made of the sea and the waves.

Growing up at the coast of the Black Sea, Aivazovsky saw many seas during his life and painted even more of them. He traveled an awful lot, with constant trips throughout Russia, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, and even the United States (he visited the Niagara Falls in 1892).

In the meanwhile, he remained incredibly productive and more than 6,000 paintings of him are known. That means that during his active career, he finished about 100 paintings each year. It helped that he was very talented and had a brilliant memory, allowing him to paint many of his works largely from memory, without extensively sitting at the sea to observe the ideal circumstances for his painting.

 Few people understood the secrets of the sea better than

According to one tradition, the famous ancient Greek poet Sappho, jumped off a cliff for unrequited love.

The Catalan artist Miquel Carbonell Selva (1854-1896) created the Death of Sappho (1881). He was both a poet and a painter, so it is not surprising that he was attracted to Sappho's story.

Sappho (630 - 570 BC) was a poet who sung her lyrics accompanied by her lyre, which you can also see on this painting.

Most experts and sources, however, agree that Sappho did not commit suicide by jumping off a cliff. It may have been a translation error.

Unfortunately, few works of Sappho have survived. But there are some of her works available. You can look them up if you are curious.

 According to one tradition, the famous ancient Greek poet

This calm sea under the moonlight by Ivan Aivazovsky has spectacular light effects, yet looks quite relaxed when you study it in more detail.

Moonlight Night on Capri was painted in 1841.

 How to capture a mood in a painting? This calm sea under

Whereas Claude Monet dedicated a large part of his life to painting water lilies, Ivan Aivazovksy was dedicated to capturing the sea under all sorts of conditions.

The Shipwreck (1873) showcases Aivazovsky's spectacular ability to capture the sea. Just look at the translucent quality of the water and its interplay with the moonlight.

In some cases, Aivazovsky made the sea a subject of a larger narrative, but more often the sea itself was his main focus. Waves, foam, calm water, etc. And then particularly, its appearance under different light conditions, like the moonlight, sunrise, mid-day, sunset, storms, etc.

 Whereas Claude Monet dedicated a large part of his life to

Sunset over Constantinople (1861) shows the magnificent talent of Ivan Aivazovsky in capturing light and water.

This work shows the outer walls of the Rumelihisari Castle, a 15th century fortress on the European bank of the Bosphorus.

Aivazovsky painted thousands of seascapes during his career, and he was so good at it, that he did not need much time to study the water. After he looked at it for a little bit, he was able to draw much of the painting from his imagination.

 Sunset over Constantinople (1861) shows the magnificent

Ivan Aivazovsky did an incredible job in blending the colors in the sea and the sky in The Wrath of the Seas (1886).

 Survival mode activated! Ivan Aivazovsky did an incredible

Sunset over Ischia (1873) by Ivan Aivazovsky presents a spectacular view of the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples with a couple of boats. But it's the golden glow of the sunset and its effect on the water that makes this painting so good. Just look as those shiny, translucent waves in the foreground.

Aivazovsky painted over 6000 seascapes during his long career and traveled widely throughout Russia and the Mediterranean. He was born at the coast of the Black Sea and was very familiar with many beautiful marine landscapes. But the Gulf of Naples had a special place in his heart because of the atmosphere, and he returned there several times to capture it.

 The beauty of nature. Sunset over Ischia (1873) by Ivan

The Rainbow (1873) was painted by the Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900), arguably the best marine painter ever.

I understand that taste is subjective, and that we may all have our own preferences. But Aivazovsky understood the sea better than almost any other artist. He grew up along the coast of the Black Sea and painted about 8000 works during this life, the majority of which were seascapes.

The Rainbow is a wonderful example of mankind struggling with the forces of nature. The waves are rough, and both the small boat and the big ship are in trouble. In fact, the big boat seems to be sinking. But the subtle appearance of a rainbow (best seen on the left side of the painting) provides hope that better weather is imminent.

Another effect of the rainbow is that the sea and the sky form a beautiful symphony of colors. Aivazovsky loved to capture this interplay of the light and its environment.

 Do you see the rainbow? The Rainbow (1873) was painted by

William Blake (1757-1827) did not believe in the scientific approach of Isaac Newton and tried to make fun of him.

He portrayed Newton sitting naked at the bottom of the sea, focused on the rules of the compass instead of the colorful rocks and coral behind him.

The religious views of Blake did not match the universal view of Isaac Newton (1643-1727). Blake, who was also a poet, also expressed his problems with Newton's ideas in his poetry. But sometimes, a picture can express a thousand words.

 William Blake (1757-1827) did not believe in the scientific

Ever heard of Sadko and the Underwater Kingdom (1876)?

Ilya Repin captures here a spectacular scene from this Medieval story about the adventurer Sadko visiting the underwater Tsar who let's him choose a new wife.

I did not know the story of Sadko until today, but it sounds like a great one (this is just one scene from it).

Looking at this painting, it could easily be a still from a movie about this epic story.

 Ever heard of Sadko and the Underwater Kingdom (1876)? Ilya

Ship at Sunset off Cap Martin (1859) by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900), a Russian/Armenian artist that created over 6,000 paintings during his career, of which most of them are seascapes.

Aivazovsky was truly the master of rendering the sea in all sorts of circumstances. Calm or rough, day or night, sunlight or moonlight? To Aivazovsky it did not matter, he did it all. And for seas all across Russia and the Mediterranean.

Aivazovsky grew up next to the Black Sea and so from a young age he became very familiar with the sea. And he painted it so often, that at some point in his career, he did not even have to look at it anymore to create the most spectacular seascapes.

This painting at the French coast sold in 2019 for over $1.5 million.

 Those waves look spectacular! Ship at Sunset off Cap Martin

Caspar Friedrich painted his romantic Moonrise over the Sea twice. He could paint these silhouetted figures against the night sky like no one else!

 Caspar Friedrich painted his romantic Moonrise over the Sea

On Lake Attersee (1900) is one of the most abstract works by Gustav Klimt, yet we can still recognize the calming waves in the foreground.

 Calming lake or abstract art? On Lake Attersee (1900) is

The golden glow of fading sunlight above the water is one of those magical moments that the world has to offer.

The Island of Ischia at Sunset (1857) was painted by Ivan Aivazovsky, who created over 6000 seascapes during his long career.

It shows the Island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, one of Aivazovsky's favorite locations to capture the sea. Aivazovsky, however, did not paint these works entirely outside. He had grown up next to the sea and it had intrigued him throughout his life. Because of this, he had such a brilliant memory of how the sea looked like, that he could create these paintings largely from his mind.

 The golden glow of fading sunlight above the water is one

The wonders of mythology! Opening up a large shell and finding a cute sleeping baby inside...

A Water Baby (1900) was painted by Herbert James Draper (1864–1920), a Classical painter who created many works about lesser-known mythological stories.

 The wonders of mythology! Opening up a large shell and

Nobody painted more seascapes than Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900).

His favorite type of seascape was a dramatic, wild sea combined with the sun- or moonlight. Quiet Night (1897) is one of his paintings of a calm sea. We cannot see the moon, but we clearly see its effects on the water.

And he still included quite some drama if you look at it in more detail. The full title of this work is Quiet Night: Armenians Thrown Overboard off the Turkish Ships, and you can see that happening at the ship in the foreground.

 Nobody painted more seascapes than Ivan Aivazovsky

Jesus Walking on Water (1890) shows how Jesus appeared to his disciples on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night.

It is painted by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900), an artist who has produced many spectacular seascape paintings, most of nonreligious nature.

 Jesus Walking on Water (1890) shows how Jesus appeared to

This spectacular painting of the Top-Kahne Mosque in Istanbul rising out of the mist was painted by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817-1900), a Russian Romantic painter and one of the best painters of seascapes ever.