Have you ever wondered why there are always so many paintings of water in museums and galleries? Water scenes seem to be one of the most popular subjects for artists of all kinds. There is something that is just irresistible about the look of water and the way that it moves naturally because of wind or currents. It can induce a calming affect when the water is smooth without any disruption and a vibrant affect when there are crashing waves or a rolling sea.

Waterscapes are just as versatile as landscapes even if you might not think they would be. The varying colors of water in a natural outdoor setting can range from light blues or grays in lakes or ponds and similar shades in the oceans and seas. The seas and oceans can also take on vivid turquoise and green colors as well. Even the deepest black and charcoal colors can be found in water sometimes. Capturing the exact look of the water at any particular time could be one of the reasons that artists love getting it down on print paper or canvas.

The real appeal of pictures and paintings of water for the simple observer is in what it can make them feel. Different people can look at different pictures or paintings of water and be transported to entirely different places in their minds. When we look at an image of a tranquil beach setting with sea shells strewn along the shore, it can bring back memories of childhood when we ourselves visited such a place or it might make someone long for that tropical vacation that they always wanted to take. It might remind you of a lover that you would like to walk up and down that beach with hand in hand.

Looking at scenes of water can usually evoke feelings of romance in us whether it is because we are thinking or someone else or what it would be like to travel by water to some far away exotic place. For some it would be the voyage itself that can represent the most adventure and for others it would be the final destination of water sailing that would be the highlight of the imagining.

As long as humans have a longing to travel by water or simply to look at it at a distance, painters and photographers will probably always capture its beauty in one form or the other. There is always some place the imagination will take you when you gaze upon a beautiful body of water wherever or whatever it might be.