HOME AT LAST HE WAS A FIXTURE HERE; OGDEN WAS, DEFINITELY AT THE OGDEN PLEISSNER: B y M a r t i n S i l v e r s t o n e

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "HOME AT LAST HE WAS A FIXTURE HERE; OGDEN WAS, DEFINITELY AT THE OGDEN PLEISSNER: B y M a r t i n S i l v e r s t o n e"

Milo Nicholson
5 years ago
Views:

P R O F I L E HOME AT LAST B y M a r t i n S i l v e r s t o n e OGDEN PLEISSNER: T H E S P

HE WAS A FIXTURE HERE; OGDEN WAS, DEFINITELY AT THE garden shop where the staff had to

At the bridge over the old mill pond in the middle of town and maybe even at Murphy s Donut

Ogden Pleissner, fly fisher, artist, war correspondent, uncle, husband and gardener, lived

And it s here in the tree-filled southern Vermont town of Manchester that the American

1 P R O F I L E HOME AT LAST B y M a r t i n S i l v e r s t o n e OGDEN PLEISSNER: T H E S P O R T I N G G R A N D TO U R, AT T H E A M E R I C A N M U S E U M O F F LY F I S H I N G. HE WAS A FIXTURE HERE; OGDEN WAS, DEFINITELY AT THE garden shop where the staff had to remind him to leave his pipe outside. At the bridge over the old mill pond in the middle of town and maybe even at Murphy s Donut Shop, no longer owned by Murphy but still making their own donuts the old fashioned way. Ogden Pleissner, fly fisher, artist, war correspondent, uncle, husband and gardener, lived here, as Jessie Winchester sings, with the decent folk of Old Vermont. And it s here in the tree-filled southern Vermont town of Manchester that the American Museum of Fly Fishing sprang up in Elegant, yet understated, the AMFF resides in an old family home. R I V E R V O YA G E R S 32 ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL A U T U M N

2 A U T U M N ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL 33

P R O F I L E Now, in an elegant old family home across from a majestic maple grove, these two prominent, perhaps a bit overlooked, local doyens have come together.

Up the walkway, over memorial stones beneath the largest Austrian pine in the state, and through the home s former side door, is an entrance to Ogden Pleissner, The Sporting Grand Tour.

Ogden died 25 years ago; he was in London and collapsed walking through Piccadilly Circus on his way to the Tate Gallery. Samuel Webb Jr.

3 P R O F I L E Now, in an elegant old family home across from a majestic maple grove, these two prominent, perhaps a bit overlooked, local doyens have come together. It s a meeting that is bringing a well-deserved, fresh appreciation to both the man and the museum. Up the walkway, over memorial stones beneath the largest Austrian pine in the state, and through the home s former side door, is an entrance to Ogden Pleissner, The Sporting Grand Tour. Brilliantly designed by Yoshi Akiyama, Pleissner s play with light and mood are beautifully set off on a black background. Ogden died 25 years ago; he was in London and collapsed walking through Piccadilly Circus on his way to the Tate Gallery. Samuel Webb Jr. was out grouse hunting that day and phoned his dad to tell him what a great outing it was. Sam Sr. gave him the bad news. Sam Webb Jr. s father and Ogden were the best of friends. They met in boot camp during World War II and it is felt by many that Webb was the one who convinced Pleissner to paint more angling and shooting scenes. If there are threads that connect the memories of those who I spoke to about Ogden, it s that behind every Pleissner painting is a story, and that in that story, Ogden s humour and human decency always take a central role. The exhibit itself is not without its share of humour and drama. Shortly after finalizing the design, and only weeks before the exhibit opened, museum staff were studying the handwritten journal of Mary Pleissner, Ogden s first wife. In her careful handwriting she describes the couple returning from an exhibit of his work in New York when the artist s point was made clear: he disapproved of the dark background used to display his paintings. It is difficult to stand among this collection of Ogden s sporting works, the first time such a collection has been brought together, and believe he would disapprove. Clear panels shadowed with photographs of the painted scenes (courtesy of Peter Corbin) allow the viewer to imagine the paintings materializing on canvas. Stan Bogdan recalls being in camp with Pleissner. He had priority over me, the 90 year-old recalls. When he arrived I was relegated to the Guide s cabin. Yet, Bogdan would have it no other way, lovingly remembering the pleasure it was to meet up with the painter at day s end. Once up at the Bennington camp on the lower Restigouche, Pleissner was commissioned to paint the view from an island. He was dropped off there. At happy hour, it didn t take long to notice, Ogden wasn t around, Bogdan T H E R A P I D O U T F I S H I N G F L O AT P L A N E 34 ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL A U T U M N

4 T H E R I V E R W A R D E N A U T U M N ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL 35

P R O F I L E laughs. Guides rushed to pick him up on the island and he wasn t all too happy to have been left to feed the flies all afternoon.

mixture of both as if the experience of being temporarily abandoned had somehow affected him.

It s hard to say whether I have a favourite place to paint. There are many fascinating places in Europe and there s so much right here in this country.

I found this quote, taken from a 1983 interview, at the entrance to the permanent Pleissner collection at the Shelburne Museum.

up scenic route 7 to Shelburne. Here, among the war paintings and 1940s Life magazines with sketches by then correspondent Pleissner, you get a real feeling for the artist s strong character.

5 P R O F I L E laughs. Guides rushed to pick him up on the island and he wasn t all too happy to have been left to feed the flies all afternoon. Perhaps it s my overactive imagination, but when I look at the painting, The Lower Restigouche, it seems markedly different from his other works, being neither a sporting scene or a scenic, but a mixture of both as if the experience of being temporarily abandoned had somehow affected him. Still, on an island being devoured by black flies or wandering the back alleys of Brooklyn, Pleissner found beauty and pleasure in his immediate surroundings. It s hard to say whether I have a favourite 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. I found this quote, taken from a 1983 interview, at the entrance to the permanent Pleissner collection at the Shelburne Museum. If you go to check out the marvellous American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, and you should (the exhibit continues to October 31), it would be a crime to not make the pleasant 90 minute-drive up scenic route 7 to Shelburne. Here, among the war paintings and 1940s Life magazines with sketches by then correspondent Pleissner, you get a real feeling for the artist s strong character. IT S HARD TO SAY WHETHER I HAVE A FAVOURITE PLACE TO PAINT. THERE ARE MANY FASCI- NATING 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. Portrait of the artist: At the American Museum of Fly Fishing, Pleissner can be found at his easel. Upstairs from the exhibit hall is the museum s exceptional fly-fishing library. U P P E R C A M P P O O L, G R A N D C A S C A P E D I A L E A P I N G S A L M O N His commanding officers probably expected more emphasis on the glory of battle and the role of American troops therein when they sent the young artist into the field to observe and paint a country at war. Ogden s World War II paintings, however, focus on the very unsung heroes mechanics and assembly line workers in the factories servicing the war effort. And even on the battlefield Ogden depicts the mindlessness of taking up arms against a foe. One painting shows a burial detail, another a bombed graveyard, one more of the chaotic scene and stunned look of young men in the midst of a crucial moment at St. Lo, seem to be his own way of saying, Stop the madness! Back in Manchester, I walk into the last and largest section of the Pleissner exhibit: Atlantic salmon angling paintings. All I know about, all I am interested in is painting, Pleissner told biographer Peter Bergh in 1983 (The Art of Ogden Pleissner, 1984). Not to cast doubt on the veracity of these words in any way, but we do know that this is not entirely accurate. 36 ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL A U T U M N

B L U E B O AT O N T H E S T E A N N E Pleissner knew plenty about, and certainly was very interested, in fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon. He was a beautiful caster, Sam Webb told me.

6 B L U E B O AT O N T H E S T E A N N E Pleissner knew plenty about, and certainly was very interested, in fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon. He was a beautiful caster, Sam Webb told me. And these scenes, more than any of his other paintings, seem to sum up the joy Pleissner squeezed from his art. It s happiness he seemed reluctant to charge the true value for, telling friends he saw no need for more money than he needed to enjoy his simple lifestyle. There are those who feel Pleissner has not yet received the recognition he deserves. Perhaps the great art critics and institutions of the world have not given him his due. But for those who knew his art, you don t so much as own a Pleissner painting, as love it. Wilfred Carter was a young biologist up in the Gaspé, when Pleissner did some of his greatest work. I never met him, but I knew he was around, Carter told me. June Baker was an elderly lady who lived near Gaspé. She cherished her print of Blue Boat on the Ste-Anne. Baker left her home every winter. Of all the possessions in her home, she couldn t stand the thought of something happening to her Pleissner print while she was gone. Year in and year out, for six months, she left that print with me, Carter says. Basically I was the Blue Boat babysitter. For some, fame and recognition are of paramount importance, but appreciation like that felt by a June Baker, and by many other Pleissner fans, is hard won. With this exhibit, his most loved fly-fishing and sporting works have come to the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Here, friends, both new and old, as well as family, can feel the beauty and the joy Ogden found in the outdoors. In some ways, it is as close to coming home as anyone could hope for. The American Museum of Fly Fishing (Route 7a South, Manchester VT) is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Shelburne Museum is on route 7 in Shelburne, Vermont. Martin Silverstone is the Editor of ASJ. A U T U M N ATLANTIC SALMON JOURNAL 37

the little boy 1 a good boy 1 then you give 1 is about me 1 was to come 1 old and new 1 that old man 1 what we know 1 not up here 1 in and out 1

the little boy 1 a good boy 1 is about me 1 then you give 1 was to come 1 old and new 1 what we know 1 that old man 1 in and out 1 not up here 1 good for you 1 down at work 1 with his cat 1 it was new