The Allure of Seascape Paintings: Regional Masters at Gregory James Gallery

For me a work of art must be an elevated interpretation of nature. The search for the ideal has been the purpose of my life. In landscape or seascape, I love above all the poetic motif.
—William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Art lovers and collectors have treasured seascapes for centuries, and for good reason. Landscape painting as a medium is like the universal language of art, unifying and satisfying, and spoken and understood by all. By adding the mystery and poetry of the water, seascapes elevate that language to a higher emotional plane.

“Seascapes depict a view of the sea or coastline, often without figures, and with an eye towards emotion and sensibility rather than narrative or figural depiction,” Lisa Thomas of Stair Galleries told Invaluable for a post on Seascapes.

“Their popularity is attributed to many reasons: they speak a common language, they celebrate the majesty of the natural world, and they often are simply beautiful,” added Joshua Eldred of Eldred’s.

Several of the regional landscape painters represented by Gregory James Gallery show equal an devotion to seascapes.

Thomas Adkins divides his time between Connecticut and Maine, and his friend and fellow landscape artist Jim Laurino also paints seascapes in Maine.

Christopher Magadini of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., considered one of the finest landscape and plein-air painters in the Northeast, also has a love for nautical themes, and the late Millbrook, N.Y. artist Ralph Della-Volpe reflects a strong emotional interpretation by taking a bold creative license with color in his landscapes and seascapes.

The allure of these paintings, especially for those who vacation and spend time by the water but don’t live by the sea, also extends to the emotional power of places that hold deep meaning in our lives—like the locations in Maine that draw Adkins and Laurino, the mystique of Cape May for Magadini, and the purity of sun, sea, and sailing for Della-Volpe.

Contact gallery owner Gregory James Mullen at 860-354-3436 or by email at GregoryJamesG@aol.com for pricing or to plan a COVID-safe gallery visit to see the small but wonderful collection of seascapes.

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