The marine world has long inspired writers, poets, photographers and artists alike. Now, a new book calledOcean: Exploring the Marine World (£44.95, Phaidon Press) brings together a diverse collection of work from the past 3,000 years.
The bookfeatures fantastical prints of sea creatures, vintage movie posters, paintings and sculptures from classic and contemporary artists as well as maps, scientific illustrations and incredible underwater photography.
These works were selected by an international panel of research scientists, marine biologists, conservationists, artists, photographers, museum curators and experts from organisations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The Reward
Two waves collide off the coast of Newcastle, Australia, and are magnificently backlit by the Sun. Photo by Scott Harrison/daily_salt
Meanwhile
Stills from the short filmMeanwhile shows the beautiful world of corals and starfish at high magnification, using time-lapse photography. Photo by Sandro Bocci/Julia Set Lab
Brig on the Water
Gustave Le Gray'simage of a brig on the water was photographed off the coast of France in 1856. For a time, this image was believed to be one of the most famous and widely distributed photographs in the world. Photo by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Gift of A Hyatt Mayor
Rubicon
An underwater sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor, made of stainless steel, pH-neutral cement, basalt and aggregates. Over time, this sculpture will biodegrade. This installation is located at Las Coloradas, on the Lanzarote coast, Spain. Photo by Jason deCaires Taylor
The Royal Game of the Dolphin
A hand-coloured engraving by the artist William J Darton Jr, made in 1821. This is actually a board game, with 12 illustrated panels featuring a huge dolphin and flying fish, amongst other curious images. Photo by MIT Museum
Perpetual Ocean
Tens of thousands of ocean currents were captured in this scientific visualisation created by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in2011. Photo by NASA/SVS
Snøhetta - Under
Europe's first underwater restaurant, Under, photographed during construction in Norway in 2016. The restaurant, designed by Snøhettato resemble a sunken periscope, is fronted by a huge panoramic window that gives visitors a view of marine life. Photo by Ivar Kvaal
A native fisherman with his young son sail in an outrigger from a village on the Willaumez Peninsula on New Britain Island, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Photo by David Doubilet
Trachyphyllia
Trachyphyllia, a type of stony coral, is seen here in amazing detail. This image is part of a time-lapse video which shows how corals change colour over time. Photo by NNtonio Rod (Antonio Rodríguez Canto)
The Great Wave
Katsushika Hokusai's iconic Under the Wave off Kanagawa (or The Great Wave) was made between 1830 and 1832. It depicts huge waves crashing over small fishing boats in the shadow of Mount Fuji. Photo by The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York/H O Havemeyer Collection
Ocean: Exploring the Marine World(£44.95,Phaidon.com) is available to preordernow from all good bookshops
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
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