LONDON (REUTERS).- U.S. artist John Singer Sargent was best known for his society portraits of subjects ranging from European beauties to U.S. presidents, which earned him comparisons to 17th century Flemish master Anthony van Dyck. But “Sargent and the Sea,” a new exhibition of his works at London’s Royal Academy, seeks to unveil a different side to the artist that curators believe has been overlooked for too long. The show, which runs until September 26, examines the artist’s experience as a marine painter and gathers more than 70 paintings, drawings and watercolors produced mainly during his travels around Europe as a young man. “The extent of his engagement with marine subjects has only recently been recognized,” said co-curator Richard Ormond, Sargent’s great-nephew and an authority on the painter. “The aim