John Whorf

John Whorf (1903–1959) was an American realist artist who is best known for his watercolors. From his first exhibition in 1923 until the last in 1958, his work remained popular with both critics and collectors. In 1929, art historian Lloyd Goodrich said Whorf had "inherited the mantel" of John Singer Sargent, adding, "Mr. Whorf, although he is still under 30, is perhaps the most brilliant watercolorist in America today, if we take 'brilliancy' to mean a breath-taking skill in depicting reality." A bit later, the essayist and critic Lewis Mumford wrote that Whorf's paintings "are perhaps the finest example of current realism one can find anywhere, not excepting the water colors of Hopper."