Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

InspirationArt & Culture

The Sea: Beautiful oil paintings that look like blurred photographs of beach life

When you first consider The Sea, a series by South African artist Philip Barlow – featured previously – you would think they were blurred photographs rather than oil paintings of beach life.

Written By:
Beachgoers wade in shallow water while others stand on the sand in Philip Barlow's softly blurred oil painting of a seaside scene

Each artwork looks as though someone forgot to focus their camera, instead of being clever strokes of paint on canvas. Philip explains: "My depiction of the ‘seen’ landscape is simply a vehicle through which I navigate territory of another nature. A landscape less ordinary; where the line between the physical and the spiritual realm has seemingly been removed."

The paintings immediately evoke memories of being on holiday: the sound of the waves hitting the shore; children laughing and playing in the sea; someone, somewhere enjoying a little beach volleyball – it's the happy elements that we remember from being by the sea.

Philip added: "The figures in the landscape serve as carriers and reflectors of the light that falls upon them. Bathed in the luminosity, it is my hope that they would become more beautiful. To me, light is the ultimate subject because it embodies the pinnacle of all reality."

Philip currently lives and paints in Riebeek Kasteel, near Cape Town. He is married and has two children and two dogs. Discover more at www.philipbarlow.com.

All images courtesy of Philip Barlow

Softly focused oil painting of beachgoers wading in the sea, their figures blurred against a bokeh background of ocean and sky
Softly focused oil painting of beachgoers wading in shallow water with sunlight glinting off the sea in the background
People wading and running in shallow sea water on a sandy beach under clear blue sky, painted with a soft-focus effect
Two children stand in the shallow sea with waves and bokeh light reflections, painted in soft focus by Philip Barlow
Two figures in bright clothing stand on a wet beach facing the sea, rendered in soft focus with bokeh light effects across the water
Two shirtless figures stand on a beach gazing at the sea, depicted in soft focus with bokeh light reflections in Philip Barlow's oil painting
Two surfers holding boards stand on the beach with the ocean behind them, painted with soft focus to resemble a blurred photograph by Philip Barlow
Three figures in wetsuits stand in the shallow surf on a beach, rendered in soft, blurred brushstrokes with glistening light reflections on the water
Group of people standing and wading in shallow water on a beach with surfboards, rendered in soft, blurred oil painting style by Philip Barlow
Group of people standing in shallow water and on the sand at a beach, rendered in soft focus oil paint by Philip Barlow
Children standing in the shallow sea at the beach, rendered in soft focus oil paint with reflections in the wet sand
Share

Further Reading