In the art world of the late 18th. and the entire 19th. century, there appeared to have been a widespread notion of sea painting as a bearer of national pride. An idea that was directly related to... Show moreIn the art world of the late 18th. and the entire 19th. century, there appeared to have been a widespread notion of sea painting as a bearer of national pride. An idea that was directly related to the economic prosperity of the 17th-century Republic, which stemmed from the shipping industry of the time. An impression emerged of how the interaction between art and society can take shape. The role of sea painting within 19th. century nationalism was a striking aspect, but the effect that the label of a national genre had on its practice and appreciation also stood out. Sea painters started to work with it and art critics included it in their judgements. For a long time, traditional style criteria were maintained; the 17 th. century was never far away in many respects.This led to a framing of sea painting in an artistic tradition, which resulted in a certain inability to keep up with innovations in painting. The love of the ship and the specialist nautical knowledge of the sea painters were for a long time a unique quality, but they ultimately proved to be their Achilles' heel. When at the end of the 19th century the artistic tradition of the 17th-century Dutch school was definitively broken, sea painting disappeared from the canon of the visual arts. Show less
