Sailing (Sailboats in a Harbor)
by Jonas Lie (1880–1940)Pastel on paper laid down on board
29 x 39 inches (sight size)
Signed lower left: JONAS LIE; dated illegibly
29 x 39 inches (sight size)
Signed lower left: JONAS LIE; dated illegibly
Artist Biography
Jonas Lie grew up in Norway yet considered himself an American artist and convinced his contemporaries to do the same. Writing for Arts & Decoration in 1935, fellow painter Wayman Adams asserted, “Although his origin and the quiet exploring quality of his mind are traceable to his Norse descent, his spirit and his career are American.” Lie immigrated to New York in 1892. Although never fully matriculated, Jonas Lie attended classes at the National Academy of Design and Cooper Union Art School. Subsequent trips to Europe exposed the young artist to Claude Monet and Frits Thaulow, whose Impressionist techniques he