John Whorf
Approaching the Finish
1926

Name: Approaching the Finish
Brand: John Whorf
Price: 45000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Framed Dimensions: 23h x 30w inches Signature: Signed and dated at lower right: John Whorf 26. Provenance: Estate of Francoise Hermann, Cape Cod, Massachusetts Exhibitions: Adelson Galleries, New York, American Works on Paper, 1880-1930, October 20 - December 19, 2009, no. 15, illus. in color Adelson Galleries, New York, American Impressionism and Realism, May 2 - July 28, 2011, no.52, illus. in color Press: Displaying the deft brushwork that led legendary critic and scholar Lloyd Goodrich to call Whorf “perhaps the most brilliant watercolorist in America today,” the present work captures the drama in the late stages of a horse race.1 Here, a group of Thoroughbred racehorses thunder towards the finish line in a close contest whose results are still up for grabs. While the chestnut horse nearest to us holds on to the lead, the dark horse to its left is closing fast, its jockey crouched low upon its neck. Adding to the energy and excitement of the scene are the rich tones of the horses’ coats and the brightness of the jockeys’ racing silks. The fluidity of the watercolor medium (in which Whorf specialized) allowed him to recreate fleeting scenes like these from his sharp visual memory, portraying even those subjects in rapid motion without a hint of hesitation or tentativeness. As Goodrich noted: …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. The mantle of John Singer Sargent has certainly fallen on Whorf; he already has as much sheer ability of hand and eye, and as great a power of making his brush catch the illusive effects of reality with a minimum of apparent effort. New York Times, April 4, 1929, p. 133. 2Ibid.

Creator:

John Whorf (1903-1959, American)

Creation Year:

1926

Dimensions:

Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)Width: 22.5 in (57.15 cm)

Medium:

Watercolor,Paper

Movement & Style:

Impressionist

Period:

1920-1929