Joseph Kleitsch

Joseph Kleitsch (June 6, 1882 – November 16, 1931) was a Hungarian-American portrait and plein air painter who holds a high place in the early California School of Impressionism.

[1] Born in the village of Sânmihaiu Român, old Hungarian province of Banat, now in Romania, on June 6, 1882, Kleitsch, an ethnic German, began painting at the age of seven.

[2] Influenced by his visits to the famous museums of Europe, Kleitsch continued with his love of portrait and figurative painting after relocating to California.

Kleitsch fell in love with the rustic artist village of Laguna Beach, moving there in 1920. Notable works depicted the town's eucalyptus lined streets, the crashing waves of the Pacific coastline and the nearby Mission San Juan Capistrano.

[3] Arthur Millier of the Los Angeles Times in 1922 was quoted saying of Kleitsch "he was a born colorist; he seemed to play on canvas with the abandon of a gypsy violinist".