George M. Ottinger

George Ottinger was born in 1833 in Bedford, Pennsylvania. He spent most of his childhood in New York City where he was raised by his uncle. When he was seventeen Ottinger joined the crew of a whaling ship and had sailed around the globe by the time he was twenty. Upon completing his adventures abroad, Ottinger returned to the United States where he studied art in New York and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

In 1858, Ottinger joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and made the journey to Salt Lake City three years later. In Utah, he worked as a painter for the Salt Lake Theatre, became the business partner of photographer Charles Roscoe Savage, and was president of the Deseret Academy in 1863 – among other occupations. Indeed, Ottinger was a valuable contributor to and a respected member of the Utah community. He made trips to Mexico where he painted historical scenes of the Aztecs and traveled throughout a majority of Europe. Ottinger continued to paint actively and participate in art fairs and events until he passed away in 1917.

George Ottinger is best known for his paintings of Western landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits. Ottinger utilized vibrant colors and stylized images. His works, although unorthodox in style, convey excitement, passion, and zest – and display his natural artistic ability. One reason Ottinger’s art is so great is not because of its content, but because of what it brought about. His artwork influenced multiple young artists who would go on to be established names themselves – people such as Lorus Pratt and John Hafen. Truly, Ottinger was an important contributor to the Utah art scene.