Marine painting has an unfailing charm. The adventurous nature of the sea speaks to the viewer of a longing for freedom and at the same time it evokes a sense of nostalgia. From galley ships to battleships and steam corvettes, to sloops and the simplest rowing boat, we find the boat and the sea as recurring motifs in painting throughout the ages.

Broadly speaking, four categories can be distinguished within marine painting: history painting, romantic marine painting, ship portraits and coastal landscapes. History painting tells the story of real events through the artists' imaginations, such as battles, maiden voyages or shipwrecks. In romantic marine painting, shipwrecks are recurring in representations with dramatic lighting effects and storm scenes with capsizing ships that are powerless against the forces of nature. In interpretations of the marine landscape, artists seek to capture the water's endless changes in colour and light, on the open sea or in the encounter with land. Ship portraits were often painted on commission from ship captains or shipping companies and depict both warships and merchant ships. Marine painting has also been part of the navy's activities. Before photography became common, people drew and painted ships and harbours to build up knowledge about other countries' navies.

The emergence of marine motifs can be traced to the Netherlands towards the end of the 16th century, where they flourished throughout the 17th century. In England and the Nordic countries, they became more popular during the 18th century. Early marine painting often depicted unidentified ships in stormy weather or anchored off the coast or in calm waters. Gradually, demand increased for descriptions of historical and fought naval battles, which led to the large and detailed battle paintings.

This year's summer exhibition is a tribute to Nordic marine painting. We encounter the sea, ships and coastal landscapes through interpretations by artists from the 18th century to the 1950s. Johan Fredrik Martin's etching of a view of the Saltsjö side of the Royal Palace from the late 18th century has unmistakable similarities to Anna Palm's paintings of Stockholm's water and life-giving quays that were created a century later. Johan Tietrich Schoultz painted on commission during his service as a naval officer and his approximately 90 known works mainly depict Gustav III's Russian wars and are said to have been executed on royal order. Marcus Larson's dramatic sea depictions were part of the late Romantic period, and his storm scenes leave no one unmoved with waves whipping against ships and rocks. Naval officer Jacob Hägg also took to the brush and studied the marine environment in just as much detail as he depicted ships. Alongside these lifelike studies of marine life, we find atmospheric depictions of the archipelago by Roland Svensson. Welcome to a rich journey through the waters of Nordic art!