Sailing Day (attributed), Jack Herland (1919–2005), c.1960–80, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., signed lower right.
Vibrant mid-century sailboat seascape by Jack Herland (1919–2005), oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches—expressive brushwork, coastal horizon, windswept sky, and sparkling blue water in a modern, painterly marine composition.
Artwork Description
This lively marine painting by Jack Herland captures a sailboat cutting across open water under a broad, cloud-filled sky. The main vessel—its white sails sharply angled by wind—moves diagonally through the composition, creating a strong sense of forward motion. Smaller sailboats punctuate the mid-distance, while low green hills and a cool horizon line anchor the scene and suggest a protected bay or coastal inlet.
Herland’s handling emphasizes gesture and immediacy: broad, confident strokes model the sails; layered, broken color describes the water; and quick linear accents skim across the surface, reading as wind-raked ripples and directional currents. The sea is built from varied blues and aquas with intermittent white crests, giving the surface a rhythmic, rolling energy. The palette balances cool atmospherics with warm notes in the boat’s hull, drawing the eye into the foreground and reinforcing the narrative of human presence on deck.
Stylistically, the work aligns with mid-20th-century American painterly realism that borrows from modernist shorthand—edited forms, assertive line, and expressive surface—while remaining legible and inviting. The result is a spirited coastal image that reads as both a travel memory and a studio translation of lived observation.
Artist Biography
Jack Herland (1919–2005) was a German-born American artist active in New York, known for florals, still lifes, and a broader practice that also included landscape and design work. According to published artist references, he immigrated to the United States at sixteen and studied with illustrator John Groth and modernist painter Stuart Davis, and he also took WPA-era art courses—training that placed him close to the practical, skills-forward art culture of mid-century New York.
Herland’s education expanded through study with Wang Chi Yuan (Wang Jiyuan), a major figure associated with both Western and Chinese painting approaches, which helps explain the calligraphic confidence and “line-first” thinking visible across many works attributed to Herland. This cross-pollination—Western modernism and an Eastern brush philosophy—appears repeatedly in accounts of Herland’s practice and is consistent with the brisk, linear energy in his compositions.
Beyond studio painting, Herland’s career intersected with applied arts: he worked with artist colleagues producing hand-painted gift items in glass and china, and he also did consulting and design development in the lamp industry—an unusual but revealing detail that underscores his comfort with decorative form, surface, and commercial presentation. He taught painting in an adult program and exhibited at venues including the National Arts Club and the China Institute, as well as the Hudson Museum and Riverdale Neighborhood House (as recorded in artist reference notes).
Jack Herland (1919–2005), Sailing Day (attributed), oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., signed lower right; modern painterly sailboat seascape with coastal hills and dynamic water.
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that the artwork titled Sailing Day (attributed) is an original oil painting on canvas by Jack Herland (1919–2005), measuring 30 x 24 inches. The work depicts a sailboat at sea with distant coastline and bears the artist’s signature at the lower right.
Condition
Overall presentation is strong. Visible wear appears consistent with age and handling: minor edge wear and surface abrasions in areas of thicker paint, with scattered small marks typical of an unframed or lightly protected canvas. No major structural damage is apparent from the provided images. A conservator’s in-person review is recommended if you plan retail framing or premium auction placement.
Provenance chain
Current owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Acquired from: Mitch Morse Gallery
Mitch Morse Gallery acquisition channel: sourced through New York City, United States and Europe
Present custody: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Sailing Day (attributed), Jack Herland (1919–2005), c.1960–80, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., signed lower right.
Vibrant mid-century sailboat seascape by Jack Herland (1919–2005), oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches—expressive brushwork, coastal horizon, windswept sky, and sparkling blue water in a modern, painterly marine composition.
Artwork Description
This lively marine painting by Jack Herland captures a sailboat cutting across open water under a broad, cloud-filled sky. The main vessel—its white sails sharply angled by wind—moves diagonally through the composition, creating a strong sense of forward motion. Smaller sailboats punctuate the mid-distance, while low green hills and a cool horizon line anchor the scene and suggest a protected bay or coastal inlet.
Herland’s handling emphasizes gesture and immediacy: broad, confident strokes model the sails; layered, broken color describes the water; and quick linear accents skim across the surface, reading as wind-raked ripples and directional currents. The sea is built from varied blues and aquas with intermittent white crests, giving the surface a rhythmic, rolling energy. The palette balances cool atmospherics with warm notes in the boat’s hull, drawing the eye into the foreground and reinforcing the narrative of human presence on deck.
Stylistically, the work aligns with mid-20th-century American painterly realism that borrows from modernist shorthand—edited forms, assertive line, and expressive surface—while remaining legible and inviting. The result is a spirited coastal image that reads as both a travel memory and a studio translation of lived observation.
Artist Biography
Jack Herland (1919–2005) was a German-born American artist active in New York, known for florals, still lifes, and a broader practice that also included landscape and design work. According to published artist references, he immigrated to the United States at sixteen and studied with illustrator John Groth and modernist painter Stuart Davis, and he also took WPA-era art courses—training that placed him close to the practical, skills-forward art culture of mid-century New York.
Herland’s education expanded through study with Wang Chi Yuan (Wang Jiyuan), a major figure associated with both Western and Chinese painting approaches, which helps explain the calligraphic confidence and “line-first” thinking visible across many works attributed to Herland. This cross-pollination—Western modernism and an Eastern brush philosophy—appears repeatedly in accounts of Herland’s practice and is consistent with the brisk, linear energy in his compositions.
Beyond studio painting, Herland’s career intersected with applied arts: he worked with artist colleagues producing hand-painted gift items in glass and china, and he also did consulting and design development in the lamp industry—an unusual but revealing detail that underscores his comfort with decorative form, surface, and commercial presentation. He taught painting in an adult program and exhibited at venues including the National Arts Club and the China Institute, as well as the Hudson Museum and Riverdale Neighborhood House (as recorded in artist reference notes).
Jack Herland (1919–2005), Sailing Day (attributed), oil on canvas, 30 x 24 in., signed lower right; modern painterly sailboat seascape with coastal hills and dynamic water.
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that the artwork titled Sailing Day (attributed) is an original oil painting on canvas by Jack Herland (1919–2005), measuring 30 x 24 inches. The work depicts a sailboat at sea with distant coastline and bears the artist’s signature at the lower right.
Condition
Overall presentation is strong. Visible wear appears consistent with age and handling: minor edge wear and surface abrasions in areas of thicker paint, with scattered small marks typical of an unframed or lightly protected canvas. No major structural damage is apparent from the provided images. A conservator’s in-person review is recommended if you plan retail framing or premium auction placement.
Provenance chain
Current owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Acquired from: Mitch Morse Gallery
Mitch Morse Gallery acquisition channel: sourced through New York City, United States and Europe
Present custody: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
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