From the Archives: A Brush with History

For the better part of the 20th century the Ortlip  family maintained several studios atop the cliffs in Fort Lee.  They first occupied the famous Castle above River Road in the 1920s. Thereafter they worked and lived in the studio atop the Palisades near Old Palisade Road. This studio stood until the early 1970s when it was razed for high rise construction.  At that point Paul Ortlip dismantled the studio and rebuilt it behind his home on the corner of Bigler Street and Main Street on lower Main  Street.  As a child I remember attending the opening of the new studio with a number of friends my age.  Paul took time away from the adults to tells us the stories behind the paintings. His paint brush  brought the history of Fort Lee alive for us and that history includes the Revolutionary War and General George Washington leading his troops, including patriot and writer Thomas Paine, up Main Street to escape the British on November 20th, 1776.  Paul's paint brush also told us of the days of the movie industry in Fort Lee, of the old Palisades Amusement Park and the building of the George Washington Bridge.

Paul's father, H. Willard Ortlip, was a successful artist whose images graced the cover of many improtant magazines in the 1920's including the November 13, 1926 cover the The Literary Digest.  This cover displays H. Willard Ortlip's Washington at Fort Lee.  This original painting of Washington at Fort Lee was discovered a few years ago in the basement of Fort Lee Public School #1 and Paul Ortlip restored the painting at no charge to the borough and presented the finished work to then Fort Lee Mayor Jack Alter in the Fort Lee Council Chamber.  Paul' s mother, Aimee Ortlip  was also an accomplished artist and her work, View from Fort Lee, is on exhibit in our Fort Lee Museum for this show.  In fact we have three generations of Ortlip art work interpseresed with the current art work of the Fort Lee Artist Guild.  

Though Paul passed away a few years ago, we were lucky enough to have him in town prior to his death for the largest exhbit of Ortlip family art in Fort Lee history.  Our venues were the Fort Lee Museum, the Fort Lee Public Library, the Fort Lee VFW and a jitney tour for the public to discover the Ortlip art work on display in public buildings throughout Fort Lee.  Such venues as Fort Lee Fire Companies # 1 and #3, and the Fort Lee Historic Park display murals of Ortlips work. The Borough Hall has many Ortlip pieces  that include portraits of many of the former Mayors of Fort Lee  and H. Willard Ortlip's Washington at Fort Lee.  

Why the Fort Lee Museum for an art exhibit?  Well, after all, Paul Ortlip's paint  brush captured the faces of the average Fort Lee citizen and on Paul's canvas they tell the story of Fort Lee.  Art is connected to history and history to art so the venue of our Fort Lee Museum for a gallery art exhibit is right and proper.

The Fort Lee Artist Guild and Fort Lee Historical Society present the annual Fort Lee Artist Guild Exhibit at the Fort Lee Museum (1588 Palisade Avenue).  The exhibit opens with a reception for artists and the public on Saturday, May 7th from 1-4 PM at the museum.  The exhibit runs through July 17th and museum hours are weekends Noon to 4 PM and  Wednesdays 7 - 9 PM and weekdays for groups by appointment.  Call (201) 693-2763 for information or visit www.thefortleehistoricalsociety.org.

This annual art exhibit is a run up to the June 5th Fort Lee Arts & Music Festival which will take place on Main Street between Lemoine and Center Avenues and in the Municipal Lot.  The event includes two stages of free entertainment, a juried art show, crafters and food vendors, a Bergen County Harley Davidson Motorcycle Show and free bounce rides and face painting for the kids.

Fort Lee Artist Guild President Bill Camal worked with his many artists to select the works on exhibit at the museum show.  Also included in the exhibit is a tribute to Fort Lee's first family of the art world, the Ortlips.  We thank Michele Ortlip and her husband Josh Sommers for making a portion of their family  collection available for us to display in this exhibit.