John Whorf (1903-1959).(American watercolorist)(Brief Article)

A master American watercolorist, John Whorf was a prolific painter during a short career. Born in Boston in 1903, Whorf decided at a young age to bc an artist with the encouragement and early instruction provided by his father, Harry Whorf, an artist and graphic designer.

At the age of 14, he began formal art lessons at the St. Botolph Studio and then, attended the Museum of Fine Art School in Boston before moving to Provincetown, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod town held a dual attraction for Whorf: its seaside setting provided constant inspiration and Provincetown was a burgeoning art center.

After recovering from a serious fall that temporarily paralyzed him, Whorf, 18 years old, traveled through France, Portugal and Morocco, constantly painting and occasionally returning to Paris for brief study. During this time, Whorf began painting with watercolor; he had previously worked only in oils. Whorf thought that watercolor was better suited to his peripatetic life and also to capturing the subtle blend of natural colors and the elusive play of shadow and light.

Although he later studied under some of the major artists of his time -- Max Bohm, Charles W. Hawthorne and E. Ambrose Webster -- Whorf believed that the best way to learn painting was simply to paint. In 1924, Whorf had his first one-man exhibition at Boston's ...