“From the start I learned to paint not only the elusive atmosphere and mood of the moment, the misty dawn, the glow of sunset, the changing lights and shadows of scudding cloud – to paint rapidly with keen eye and sure hand. To that end as a youth I worked for years, seeking the facility of the old masters, whether painting a human being or a sea of blossoms. At
first I even made my own pigments, to attain certain permanent colors. My ambition was to complete a painting – not a mere preliminary sketch – at one sitting. Sometimes this is possible and we get something authentic and vividly alive, not niggled or overloaded with repainting”

Read Theodore Wores biography in California Art Project, volume 10.

At a glance

Birth : August 1, 1859. San Francisco, California (United States)
Death : September 11, 1939. San Francisco, California (United States)
Arrival in San Francisco Bay area : native
Married to : Caroline Bauer in 1911
Skills : Painter

Network

Art education, teachers : San Francisco School of Design, Royal Bavarian Academy, Frank Duveneck
Relations : Emil Carlsen, Amedee Joullin, John La Farge, Charles Rollo Peters, Ida Evelyn Russell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Tavernier, Virgil Williams
Institutions, clubs, venues : Bohemian Club

Resources in the Bancroft Library

Wores, Theodore. Yosemite Falls. BANC PIC 1970.010–FR. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Online

Wores, Theodore. The Golden Gate from Ocean Cliff, San Francisco. BANC PIC 1970.009–FR. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Online

Wores, Theodore. San Francisco after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. BANC PIC 1972.043:03–FR. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Online

Wores, Theodore. Mount Tamalpais from Corte Madera Creek. BANC PIC 1970.008–FR. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Online

“Houseworth, Thomas. Chinese musicians [graphic] : [a photograph of a painting by Theodore Wores] (1887). BANC PIC 19xx.211–A.Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley” Online

Wores, Theodore. Almond Blossoms and Wild Mustard, Saratoga, California. BANC PIC 1970.007–FR. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Online

Wores, Theodore. A prune orchard, Saratoga, California. BANC PIC 1971.016–FR. Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Online

Bibliography

Wores, Theodore (1873). Theodore Wores, 1858-1939; A Retrospective Exhibition at Kennedy Galleries, inc., May 4 through June 1, 1973. New York: Kennedy Galleries. Catalog Record
Wores, Theodore (1980). A Retrospective Exhibition. Huntsville, Ala. (700 Monroe Street, S.W.; 35801): Huntsville Museum of Art. Catalog Record
Wores, Theodore (1986). The Art of Theodore Wores. Tokyo: Cultural Project Department I, The Asahi Shimbun. Catalog Record