Water is the source of all life on our planet. It's little wonder that countless artists have been inspired and fascinated by oceans, rivers, and seas.
But painting water brings its own set of unique challenges, responded to in characteristic ways by different artists.
But can you identify the following paintings and artists from a close-up of the water and waves in their works?
This 1831 print gained significant worldwide attention despite Japan being under a strict period of isolation at the time. The image focuses on the unpredictable and often raging seas near Japan’s famous Mount Fuji.
The work was part of a series of scenes labeled Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. This was the most famous as it depicted the ocean in all its unpredictable anger. The waters around Fuji were said to fill sailors with an extreme sense of trepidation and dread.
The work was completed in a hypnotising blue, forming the foaming and roaring waves and crashing sea. Mount Fuji is visible in the distance, but it is the wave that dominates the frame.
But can you name the artwork?
Created between 1829 and 1833, this print can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This work was first exhibited in 1874 and shows a serene depiction of the harbour at Le Havre, France. The artist gained much attention for the subtle changes and uses of soft colors to show the first glimpse of the morning sun.
A number of small boats, presumably paddled by local fisherman on their way out to land a catch, are silhouetted on the water and reflected by some causal brushstrokes.
As the light pierces through the hazy fog and mist of the morning, bolder colors appear on the water, cutting through a more muted palette.
But do you know the artist or the picture?
This 1872 work is currently on display at the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris.
This work depicts a point in history when sailing ships had begun to be rendered obsolete by steam power and more modern forms of propulsion. These new ships could travel faster and further and a whole fleet of older wooden sail ships were being retired.
In this picture, and old sail boat is being dragged to be broken up, after having played a major role in the Battle of Trafalgar, a major English maritime victory. The artist sees the beauty in the fading grandeur of the ship but it is the sky and reflections in the water that really dazzle.
The larger and older ship is somewhat lost in the misty and murky tones of the background as the newer steam ship in the foreground is clearer and in greater focus.
But who painted this historical maritime classic?
This 1838 work has a permanent home at the National Gallery in London.
The ocean seems to blend into the sky, with the horizon blurred slightly by clouds or fog. A lone figure stares out into the waves.
It was painted between 1808 and 1810 and is regarded as one of the most famous German works from that time. The sky dominates most of the canvas, with only a small section of the land and sea at the bottom.
The elements surrounding the lonely figure seem to suggest human insignificance compared to the vastness of God, nature, and the universe.
But what is the painting?
This work is on show at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany.
Then you can find out more here.
Welcome to the banks of the River Seine, on the Island of La Grande Jatte. It's a Sunday afternoon in Paris during the 1880s, and the bustle of a city park is in full swing.
Georges Seurat became famous for painting in a style known as 'pointillism', using millions of tiny brushstrokes and dots to compose his scene giving an effect of shimmering light and motion. You can almost hear the leaves rustle and the birds caw!
Listen to the oars of the rowers, and look at how Seurat's pointillist technique makes the water sparkle in the sun and seem slightly rippled by the boats. There's a man standing alone in the shade...the park was a known meeting place for filles de joie!
The picture seems full of life. And sound! This man disturbs the peace by playing a brass instrument. The bell is pointed back at the man himself. How odd! Is Seurat making a joke at the expense of this middle class scene? At first they look so ordinary...
The prized pets of Paris scramble in the foreground. A dainty dog wears a bow. And a close look reveals a monkey on a leash! Beneath the veneer of this quite ordinary scene are the strange fashions of an increasingly modern Paris.
Even though the short brushstrokes mean that the people's faces are smudged and unclear, they have character, the suggestion of thought and interior life.
If you look into the eyes of this little girl the sounds of the park melt away. She's looking right at the viewer. What is she thinking? What is she inviting us to think?
Is she silently inviting us to judge and question the scene, to pause for a moment and reflect on the strangeness beneath the calm?
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is Georges Seurat's most famous painting. At first glance, it seems like an ordinary scene, but hopefully this audio tour has proved that there's more than meets the eye!
Want to tune in to more famous artworks? Take an audio tour of Boccioni's Charge of the Lancers.