Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with George Earl Ortman

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.ortman63
Creators:
Ortman, George, 1926-
Baker, Richard Brown
Dates:
1963 Sept. 19-Nov. 5
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
211 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of George Earl Ortman conducted 1963 Sept. 19-Nov. 5, by Richard Brown Baker, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Ortman speaks of critics' reviews of his work; his reactions to the early abstract expressionists; his family background and early experiences; his education; the California environment and its influence on him; his U.S. Navy service; the art scene in San Francisco in the 1940s; other artists he was acquainted with; coming to New York; influences on contemporary artists; pop art; establishing a reputation as a printmaker; studying under William Hayter; his time spent in France; development of his style; problems of making a living in art; his work in theatrical design; realism versus abstraction; his teaching career; exhibits he has had. He recalls Eleanor Ward, Howard Wise, Willem de Kooning, Nathan Oliveira, Gandy Brodie, Hans Hofmann, and Joan Mitchell.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
George Earl Ortman (1926- ) is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Existence and Location of Copies
Transcript: 35mm microfilm reel 3612 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These interviews are part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 4 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 52 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Painters -- Michigan -- Interviews Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printmakers -- Michigan -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- Michigan -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brodie, Gandy, 1925-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hayter, Stanley William, 1901-1988 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mitchell, Joan, 1926-1992 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oliveira, Nathan, 1928-2010 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ward, Eleanor, 1912-1984 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wise, Howard Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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