About the work

The watercolor is in excellent condition. The colors are exceptionally bold with no indication of fading or age-related issues. The work is mounted with archival strips that do not require adhesives or tape touching the watercolor paper (see photos). The reverse side of the painting has another work by Wores, apparently a study, as shown in the photos. Framed under plexiglass. Frame is in very good condition with few signs of use. Mounted under plexiglass.     

About the artist…

One of California's most famous painters during the post-Gold Rush expansion period, Theodore Wores (1859 - 1939) was prolific and diverse with work ranging from subjects of the Orient, South Seas, the American Southwest, and the West Coast. He had a special fascination for Oriental subjects, like the painting being offered, and made regular visits to Chinatown in San Francisco. His style began with the heavy palette and dark tones of the Munich School but later changed to Impressionism.

From 1875-81, Wores was in Munich at the Royal Academy and studied with William Merritt Chase, Frank Duveneck, and traveled with them to Italy where he met James Whistler, who persuaded him to study Japanese art.

He returned to San Francisco, shared a studio with William Keith, and was one of the so-called "bohemian" artists--enthusiastic, free spirited, and willing to experiment artistically. He painted many Chinatown subjects and was the first instructor of the San Francisco Art Student's League.

From the mid-1880s to the late 1890s, he traveled extensively, spending three years in Japan where he was one of the first American artists to paint there and was unusual because he was more interested in painting the inhabitants than the landscape. He also went to London, New York City, Boston and again to Japan where he was disappointed because he thought the country was becoming too Europeanized. Seeking more exotic subjects, he went to Samoa before returning to San Francisco where he began painting California landscapes for the first time in addition to portraiture.

From 1901 to 1903, he traveled and painted and in Hawaii, held an exhibition with the Kilohana Art League of over one-hundred of his paintings, some of them including "The Lei Maker," which remain in the collection of the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

In 1906, he lost his home and studio in the San Francisco fire and earthquake. The following year until 1913, he became Dean at the California School of Design. His years after that included much more travel including Hawaii, Calgary, Canada, and New Mexico where he lived in Taos from 1915 to 1917 and did Indian figure and portrait painting.

Internationally known, Wores had extensive affiliations and exhibitions including the Salmagundi Club of New York; the Art Society of Japan, and the San Francisco Art Association. He exhibited at the Paris Salon, the Royal Academy of London, and the Chicago Exposition in 1893. He died in San Francisco.

Biography sourced from the Archives of askART.

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