Carl Schmitz-Pleis

He was born in Hennef. He studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Johann Peter Theodor Janssen, Eduard von Gebhardt and Claus Meyer [de]. At first, he signed his works with his birth name, but later adopted "Carl Schmitz-Pleis" as a more distinctive artistic pseudonym. The "Pleis" was taken from Oberpleis [de], near Königswinter, where his older brother Heinrich lived with his family. Carl was a frequent visitor there.^[1]

In 1907 and 1908, together with Josef Kohlschein [de], Hubert Ritzenhofen [nl], Walter Ophey and Carl Plückebaum [de], among others, he helped to create "Niederrhein" (Lower Rhine), a progressive artists' association.^[2] In the Spring of 1910, he and several other members of the group travelled to Italy, with the goal of "capturing nature in the sunlight". From 1913 to 1928, he was a member of Malkasten, another progressive association.

He took part in numerous large art exhibitions, at the Alte Kunsthalle [de] and the Kunstpalast [de], as well as organizing the annual exhibitions held by Niederrhein. In his later years, he rarely left Düsseldorf; dying unmarried, childless, and apparently forgotten, in 1943.^[2]

Generally, he is associated with the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. His works cover a wide range of genres, including landscapes, still-lifes, and portraits. The influence of Paul Cézanne is readily noticeable. In retrospect, he can be considered the most important German representative of Neo-Impressionism and Post-Impressionism alongside Paul Baum.^[3] His works can be seen at the Museum Kunstpalast and the Stiftung Sammlung Volmer [de] in Wuppertal.