“Born in Zonnemain, Holland, Leonard Ochtman became a noted Tonalist and Impressionist landscape painter of sunsets, twilight and dawn scenes that conveyed silence and serenity. His work was highly sought after in the early part of the 20th century when he did many award-winning oils and watercolors, but his reputation was eclipsed by the advent of modernism” (1).
“His family moved to Albany, New York in 1866. Starting at a young age, Ochtman worked as a draftsman at a wood-working firm in Albany” (2).
“In the winter of 1879, Ochtman moved to New York and studied briefly at the Art Students League. It was there that his interest in landscape painting evolved. By June of 1880 he was back in Albany, where for several years he taught drawing and painting, and occasionally found work as a magazine illustrator” (3).
“He returned to New York in 1887.He became a National Academician in 1904. His most characteristic pictures are scenes on Long Island Sound and the Connecticut countryside” (2).
“Beginning in 1890, Octhman began to spend summers in Cos Cob, Connecticut, and the following year purchased a home there. In 1896 he would purchase sixteen acres on the west bank of the Mianus River and build a new and larger home, which he called Grayledge. The artist would continue to paint in Cos Cob almost exclusively until his death in 1934. There he was a founding member of the Greenwich Society of Artists and served as the organizations president from 1916 to 1932. Ochtman would also continue to be active in the New York art world as a member of the National Academy of Design, the National Arts Club, the American Watercolor Society, and the Lotus Club. He exhibited widely throughout the United States, had many one-person shows, and received numerous awards” (3).
Reference:
1.
Askart staff. Leonard Ochtman [internet]. [cited 2015 Nov 15]. Available from: http://www.askart.com/artist_bio/Leonard_Ochtman/22614/Leonard_Ochtman.aspx
2.
American Art Gallery Staff. Leonard Ochtman [internet]. [cited 2015 Nov 15]. Available from: http://americanartgallery.org/artist/readmore/id/965
3.
Berry-Hill Staff. Leonard Ochtman [internet]. [cited 2015 Nov 15]. Available from: http://www.berry-hill.com/artists/leonard-ochtman