Underwater Paintings by Martine Emdur: Celebrating Access to Clean Water and Cautioning Against Water Pollution

Australian painter Martine Emdur first shot to fame for depicting large-scale underwater views of people enjoying the crystal clear waters of Bondi Beach, Australia. Since then, she has gone on to depict similar vistas of different underwater locations around the world. In her paintings, figures young and old are frozen in time, enjoying a hot summer’s day swimming in clean blue waters. As Emdur herself puts it, she is only content if the viewer is “Able to transport themselves to that place where they feel immersed – where they can feel the temperature, feel the water and imagine that feeling of being suspended.” 

Yet, today’s reality of open water swimming is not as kind, nor as enjoyable as they appear in Emdur’s paintings. Clean water supplies across the world are depleting, with a mid-2024 released data showing that by 2050, almost 3 billion people worldwide will be living in arid areas with high stress due to water. At the end of 2023, even the crystal clear waters of Bondi Beach saw millions of polystyrene pieces float to its shores, corrupting its water quality. Hence, Emdur’s paintings become reminders of the need to preserve such precious sights and emotions, so that together the world can prevent and find solutions to water pollution. This is why underwater paintings by Martine Emdur are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Clean Water and Sanitation.

Emdur’s paintings are made with a realistic impressionistic style. This means her forms and figures are built from quick strokes of colours and shapes instead of strict lines. Much like impressionists such as Monet, who painted the water lilies in his country home’s pond, Emdur uses her quick brushstrokes to capture fleeting moments. Another impressionistic quality in her paintings is her ability to capture light; an otherwise dynamic component of reality that she manages to freeze in-time. The results are immersive large-scale paintings that can easily teleport its audiences to their warm summer vacations spent swimming with friends. 

Emdur has perfected her technique to the point where she has received commissions from healthcare institutions who are looking to create a “soothing environment for anxious clients.” In an interview with The Sydney Observer, Emdur shared that “The doctor made a special effort to contact me to tell me that the painting had done just that – this information to me was particularly special.”

Martine Emdur’s underwater paintings are more than serene depictions of idyllic summer days—they serve as visual celebrations of clean, unpolluted waters while also cautioning against the looming threat of water scarcity and pollution. As global water supplies face increasing stress, Emdur’s works remind viewers of the preciousness of these environments and the need to protect them. Her ability to immerse the audience in tranquil, crystal-clear waters highlights the urgency of preserving such natural beauty for future generations. Emdur's art calls for collective action to safeguard water resources and combat pollution.

Find out more about underwater paintings and other pieces by Martine Emdur on her website www.martine-emdur.com or Instagram @martine.emdur.