Focus on this artwork and explain the Dutch seascape.
Dutch seascapes became popular in the early 17th century and were largely considered a response to the manner in which painting style had been changing. Vertical surfaces, cartographic perspective and religious themes became less common, and imaginary depth, lower horizons and a more realistic depiction of nature became more prevalent. Visual artist Allan Sekula attributes this shift to four changes within Dutch society: an increase in trade, wars fought at sea, techniques such as cartography and navigation that had become part of Dutch culture and the incorporation of political and maritime motifs in art.The Netherlands began to emerge as a new world power after the end of the Eighty Years' War with Spain. Naval trade would become an important new aspect of Dutch life, and the formations of the Dutch West India Company and the Dutch East India Company contributed to the popularity of seascapes. These paintings were classified as naval battles, ship portraiture or seascape scenes. It was common for religious elements to be integrated into seascapes, as Rembrandt had done with The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom is credited with popularizing seascapes within the Netherlands; the trend spread throughout Europe and to America in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Dutch East India Company Allan Sekula Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom seascape Rembrandt Storm on the Sea of Galilee Eighty Years' War Sea of Galilee Dutch West India Company