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Ad Code: 3
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from Auction House Records.
The Last Ride of the Pony
Artwork images are copyright of the artist or assignee
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Biography from AskART:
| Born in Bedford, Pennsylvania, George Ottinger became one of Utah's early painters, having moved there by wagon train in 1861 to accompany his mother, who had become a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Ottinger's subjects were western genre, landscapes, history and portraits, and some of his works reflected his travels to Europe and to Mexico where he did historical scenes of the Aztecs.
George Ottinger was raised as a Quaker and spent most of his childhood in New York City. At age 17, he ran away and became a sailor on a whaling ship and also mined for gold in California. At age 20, he returned to California, where he took art lessons from Robert Weir, and then at age 25, went briefly to Kentucky, where he had a job tinting photographs.
In Salt Lake City, in addition to his painting of Western genre, landscapes, and portraits, he was a partner in the photography firm of Savage & Ottinger, which became quite successful. He married, bought a home from Brigham Young for $125.00, acted in Shakespearian plays, served as fire chief and adjutant general of the National Guard, and in 1863, was President of the Deseret Fine Arts Association.
He traveled in Mexico where he painted historical and allegorical scenes of the Aztecs, and in 1876, he exhibited a painting "Montezuma Receiving news of the Landing of Cortez" at the Philadelphia Exhibition. In 1879, he traveled extensively in Europe. He remained an active painter to the end of his life.
Sources include:
Peggy and Harold Samuels, "The Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West"
Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art"
Marc Gregory Ottinger, great great grandson of the artist, communicated to AskART.com that the middle name is spelled Martin, and not "Morton" as some art historians have recorded. |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
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George Ottinger is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
Painted in Latin America
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