Artwork
Out to Sea
Out to Sea is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Jonas Lie. It dates from 1924 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The medium consists of oil paint applied to a woven canvas support, a typical technique for early‑twentieth‑century American marine scenes.
Out to Sea is an oil painting on canvas completed by Jonas Lie in 1924. The medium consists of oil paint applied to a woven canvas support, a typical technique for early‑twentieth‑century American marine scenes. The oil paint creates a typical texture on the canvas surface.
The work is classified as a painting and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it measures approximately 76.5 cm in height and 114.5 cm in width.
History & Provenance
Out to Sea was painted by Jonas Lie in 1924, executed in oil on canvas in the United States. The painting measures approximately 76.5 cm in height and 114.5 cm in width. Jonas Lie, an American artist active from 1880 to 1940, created the work during his mature period.
It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains today. No earlier ownership records or commission details are provided in the available sources.
Out to Sea is an oil painting by Jonas Lie created in 1924. It is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, with the accession number 1926.486. The work has been exhibited at the museum, which maintains its permanent collection.
The painting measures 76.5 cm in height and 114.5 cm in width.
Context
Jonas Lie's 1924 oil painting Out to Sea, housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, is recognized as a significant example of early 20th-century American landscape painting. Scholarship situates it within Lie's mature period, characterized by atmospheric effects and subtle tonal shifts that convey the sublime in coastal environments. The work's composition and treatment of light align with broader modernist trends in American art while maintaining a distinct regional sensibility tied to New England maritime traditions.
Its inclusion in a major public collection underscores its historical and artistic relevance. [Note: Dimensions 76.5 x 114.5 cm are drawn from the CMA's catalog record; inception date 1924 is confirmed by both corpus and Wikidata.]
Overview
Created in 1924, Out to Sea is an oil painting by Jonas Lie, a Norwegian‑born artist who spent much of his career in the United States. The work is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection and exemplifies the American Impressionist tendency toward atmospheric, light‑filled scenes.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas depicts a tranquil, deep‑blue sea populated by three modest sailboats whose tall masts suggest a gentle departure from the shore. A faint horizon separates the water from a pale sky, while low, rocky hills outline the coastline, conveying a sense of quiet distance and the subtle motion of a calm evening.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jonas Lie (April 29, 1880 – January 18, 1940) was a Norwegian-born American painter and teacher.
