George Ohr Research Paper

George Ohr (1857-1918), the self-proclaimed “Mad Potter of Biloxi” created a collection of ceramic art that defied the traditional aesthetic of nineteenth-century America. Ohr’s entry into the field of pottery was not an instantaneous one; as the son of German immigrants, Ohr initially followed in his father’s footsteps, learning the blacksmith trade in his early adolescent years (Black, 1978). After working alongside his father, Ohr abandoned the blacksmith trade and immersed himself in over a dozen other artisanal specialties, eventually accepting a pottery apprenticeship in New Orleans from a childhood friend (Black, 1978).
Beginning two years after learning pottery, Ohr traveled the country to complete an in-depth exploration of the profession. He returned to his hometown of Biloxi, Michigan where he settled down and established his own pottery shop – originally called Biloxi Art and Novelty Pottery – using kilns, potter’s wheels and ironwork he himself made by hand (Black, 1978). On display were pots and ceramic ware that contradicted the typical Victorian pottery of the time. Works molded into abstract and
Ohr used the potter’s wheel to throw works that were extremely thin and fragile, allowing him to manipulate the mold into his desired aesthetic. Ohr’s style of pottery was unique, in that he would twist, pull and stretch the clay; cover some works with indentations; or use ruffles and folds to create exotic-looking forms (Black, 1978). Many pots were deliberately distorted, containing crumpled edges, skewed proportions, and were bent into confusing configurations, creating an appearance that was equally disturbing and intriguing. The exuberant personality of his pieces was further amplified by his color choices for the glazes, which often involved juxtaposing opposing colors against one another (Watson,