Ogden Pleissner
Encyclopedia
Biography
Ogden Minton Pleissner was born on April 29, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was very interested in the arts, especially music, and his mother was an accomplished violinist who had studied in Germany. When he was eleven a friend gave him a paint box filled with a wide array of colors. Growing up, Pleissner spent several summers in WyomingWyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
where he sketched from life and developed a life-long love of the outdoors, fishing, and the western landscape.
He attended the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
from 1922 to 1926 with Frank Vincent Dumond and began teaching at the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
soon after. Throughout the 1930s, Pleissner worked mainly in oils and became known for his Western landscapes and images of the Maritimes and New England.
He was commissioned as a captain in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
at the start of World War II and stationed in the Aleutian Islands as a war artist. The inclement, damp weather demanded that Pleissner work in watercolors because they dried faster than oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
s. But Pleissner recalled that even watercolors were difficult to use in the wet climate: “ I would go out to do these watercolors and it was so damn wet nothing would dry... I used to put out a few big washed and them run into and of the huts where there was a fire and dry it and go out again.”
In 1942, Pleissner accepted a commission from the United States Army as a war correspondent on inactive duty employed by Life magazine. After the war, Pleissner continued to travel to Europe and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, painting city scenes, landscapes, and sporting subjects.
Pleissner was also the director and trustee of the Tiffany Foundation (see The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1918 by Louis Comfort Tiffany to operate his estate, Laurelton Hall, in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It was designed to be a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople...
).
He died in 1983 in London, England.
Subject and Style
Ogden M. Pleissner was considered a RealistRealism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
unimpeded by sentimentality. Pleissner’s contentment in his surroundings, interest in the world around him, and his satisfaction with his craft are evident in the masterful use of light and color that pervades his paintings.
Pleissner’s development as an artist visually unfolds on the gallery walls from his early years in Brooklyn, summers in Wyoming, visits to Nova Scotia and Connecticut, and beginnings as a sporting artist. His first canvases were of the Grand Tenton Mountains in Wyoming and he became best known for his watercolors of New England scenes.
World War II brought about a major turning point in Pleissner's career. During WWII, his work was based on the Normandy breakthrough. Pleissner's post-war subjects became concerned with urban life in France, Italy and Spain. Pleissner had precision and clarity in the sense of light that comes through in many of his paintings. This, combined with his selection of only pictorial elements that contribute to an overall composition, characterizes his work.
Quotes by Pleissner
'[I consider myself] a landscape painter, a painter of landscapes who also liked to hunt and fish'“You can say that a picture has a sense of place, but in a painting, a landscape, to me it’s the mood conveyed that counts.”
“A friend of mine New York at the Salmagundi Club asked me why I didn’t paint watercolors. I said I don’t know how, and he said all you have to do is keep your board a little slanted so when you wash the color onto the paper it runs downhill. That I was my only lesson in watercolor.”
“It’s hard to say whether I have a favorite place to paint. There are many fascinating places in Europe and there’s so much right here in this country. . . Whether it’s Vermont, Normandy, or Paris, it doesn’t make that much difference, really.” -1983 interview
“Vermont is quite a different country. Out West we had the prairies and sagebrush and mountains and snow all summer. It is much bigger, dramatic country. This, I feel, is a softer country and much more friendly. I think that you can find most anything to paint here, all kinds of subjects, the dramatic and bucolic landscapes. Almost anything.”
I use color in my painting in different ways. Neutral colors and brilliant colors will create different moods. You can take the same motif, the same subject, at different times of the day or different times of the year. Some days it will appear to be very contrasty and brilliant, and the colors will be bright. Another day fog will roll over the scene or it will be early morning or later in the afternoon or evening. Then everything will meld together and you will not have this powerful effect of contrast, and a different, softer mood will prevail.”
“During the war I got interested in Europe. Afterward I went over and made a lot of sketches, especially in France, Italy, and England. More recently we’ve been to Portugal and Ireland.”
I went out very early and saw the morning sun coming up and the long shadows it cast across the great walk of the Tuilleries. There were all these chairs that had been used the day before with just this one man sitting there reading his morning paper, and I thought it would make an interesting picture. There was a lovely effect of color and light so I painted it.”
“I frequently make preliminary sketches for a painting, but lots of times I just start a large painting in my mind. Then I may refer to a number of sketches I have made at some point in the past; part of this one, part of that one, and part of another in the finished work. Sort of a composite, putting them all together to express a certain feeling you want on the canvas.”
Where to find his work
The PentagonThe Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
owns his major collection of war art but the rest of his personal collection is now at Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
.
Pleissner Gallery
Pleissner Gallery
Pleissner Gallery is an exhibit building located at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.-History:In 1986 the Museum erected Pleissner Gallery to house the estate of Ogden Minton Pleissner , which he bequeathed to the Museum...
at Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
features 40 of the Museum's 600 Pleissner works in a rotating exhibition. The gallery shows watercolors and oil paintings from all periods of Pleissner's career, including early renderings, Western landscapes, works from war-torn France and England, and sporting scenes. An adjoining room re-creates his Manchester, Vermont studio with his canvases, brushes, and personal memorabilia.
- Rockwell Museum. American Western Art. New York: Rockwell Museum, 1989, 65
- https://www.wildlifeart.org/Artists/ArtistDetails/index.php?aID=477
- http://www.tfaoi.com/newsm1/n1m195.htm
- Shelburne Museum. 1993. Shelburne Museum: A Guide to the Collections. Shelburne: Shelburne Museum, Inc.
- Shelburne Museum http://www.shelburnemuseum.org/buildings_and_grounds/detail.php?id=18
- Shelburne MuseumShelburne MuseumShelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vermont, United States. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the Museum grounds...
- Pleissner GalleryPleissner GalleryPleissner Gallery is an exhibit building located at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.-History:In 1986 the Museum erected Pleissner Gallery to house the estate of Ogden Minton Pleissner , which he bequeathed to the Museum...
- Art Students League of New YorkArt Students League of New YorkThe Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
- Pratt InstitutePratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
- Realism (arts)Realism (arts)Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
- Fly FishingFly fishingFly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
- The Louis Comfort Tiffany FoundationThe Louis Comfort Tiffany FoundationThe Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1918 by Louis Comfort Tiffany to operate his estate, Laurelton Hall, in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It was designed to be a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople...