Why Isn't Marine Art Considered Fine Art?

According to 'Wikipedia,' the term "fine art" was coined in 1767 in reference to the arts that were "concerned with beauty or which appealed to taste." The term has been used to refer to a limited number of visual art forms, including painting, sculpture, and printmaking, and is still used by schools, institutes, and other organizations to indicate a traditional perspective on the visual arts, often implying an association with classic or academic art.

While the premier events of the art industry - Art Basel Switzerland and Art Basel Miami Beach - showcase a wide range of media considered ART - paintings, sculpture, photography, video, and performance - they fail to include paintings, images and sculpture with an underwater theme. The perception of marine art appears to be one of a niche 'sub-culture.' While we do agree it's a 'sub-culture,' we believe the environmental aspect of the art, combined with the unique characteristics of underwater life and landscapes, establishes marine art as a distinct category of visual ART.

With that in mind, we have embarked on a 'quest' to be the first to have a marine art exhibition at an Art Basil event. This year, we're discussing the topic with a couple of gallery owners, encouraging them to display selected pieces of marine art in December.

Next year, Ocean Realm Media will showcase the work of the Alliance of Underwater Artists in a new publication entitled, 'Art and Images of the Ocean Realm,' due out in time for Art Basel Miami Beach, December 4 to 7, 2008.

If the nine-foot tall bronze mermaid of Simon Morris sat in a plaza near an office building, rather than in the water near a beach in the Cayman Islands, it would be seen as a work of  'fine art.' If the statues that comprise Jason de Caires Taylor's underwater sculpture garden near a beach in Grenada were in a park near a government building in St. George's, the country's capital, Jason would be considered an artist with an interest in scuba diving, rather than a diver with an interest in art.

Jamaican Carey Chen is among the best marine artists in the world, according to knowledgeable people involved with boating and sportfishing. Yet, he fails to make the cut to have work displayed during a 'fine art' exhibition. Even Guy Harvey and Wyland, two of the most popular marine artists in the world, are not part of Art Basel.

The list goes on - Carlos Hiller, Pascal Lecocq, David Dunleavy, Patrick Chevailler. In fact, Patrick's website - www.artandsea.com - has links to more than forty additional underwater artists.

How about the innovative work of Shawn Garner, which has been overlooked because he chose an underwater theme for his 3-dimensional hybrid art forms that feature intricate airbrushing and the bending acrylics. How about the glass art of Karl Stuebner?

The fine art of the ocean deserves to be in the same gallery as the fine art of the land.

Art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

In our opinion, if more people were able to behold the art of the ocean realm, we'd be able to increase support for environmental issues ranging from the decline of the coral reef eco-system to the senseless slaughter of seals, sharks and whales.

If you agree, join the Ocean Realm Society, and become an advocate of underwater art & sculpture.

Ken English