JOSEPH KLEITSCH (1882-1931)
$275,000
Provenance
George Stern Fine ArtsPrivate Collection, acquired from the above, 2012
Exhibition
Pasadena, CA, Pasadena Museum of California Art, The Golden Twenties: Portraits and Figure Paintings by Joseph Kleitsch, March 5-August 6, 2017Laguna Beach, CA, Laguna Art Museum, Joseph Kleitsch: Abroad and at home in Old Laguna, June 24-September 24, 2023
The interior is constructed with careful spatial logic and an emphasis on structure, underscoring Kleitsch’s preference for academic realism at this stage of his career. While in Chicago, his portrait and interior scenes were often distinguished by a “jeweled” palette—rich, saturated hues deployed with restraint—and that sensibility is evident here in the layered colors that enliven the otherwise low-keyed room. Subtle shifts in light guide the eye through the composition, balancing chromatic richness with solidity and calm.
In the years leading up to his move west, Kleitsch was actively involved with Chicago’s artistic institutions, including the Palette and Chisel Club and the Art Institute of Chicago, situating him within a dynamic environment of evolving modern influences. During this time, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works were increasingly visible in American exhibitions. While Kleitsch maintains a measured realism here, the Impressionist influence was incubating; he would later become renowned as a “master of gorgeous color” owing to the high-keyed vibrant palette of his California landscapes.
Studio Interior has been exhibited twice, both times in California, as part of exhibitions highlighting Kleitsch’s importance to the history of California art. Seen in retrospect, the painting offers a revealing glimpse of the artist’s roots before his later, more luminous California landscapes would come to define his legacy.

