Product Information
Joseph Kleitsch, Hungary, 1882-1931, active United States
The Old Post Office, c. 1922-23
Giclée of original oil on canvas

Measures 38 x 32 inches (unframed)

Laguna Art Museum Collection Gift of the estate of Joseph Kleitsch in memory of his wife Edna

Unframed, $325.00

In his teens in Hungary, Joseph Kleitsch was apprenticed to a sign painter, but he left after a short time to open a portrait studio. He quickly earned a reputation as a gifted portraitist. Around 1901 he immigrated to Germany and then to the United States, living for short periods in Ohio, Colorado, Kansas, and Mexico. Sometime in 1909 he moved to Chicago. There he was active with various arts organizations and clubs, receiving high praise for his works, which now included landscapes. In 1920 Kleitsch moved to Southern California, establishing residency in Laguna Beach. He was a bold colorist, employing a bravura brushstroke. He continued with his portrait work, as well as still lifes, landscapes, and seascapes. He held a deep affection for Laguna Beach and vowed to make many paintings of the community and its environs, very much aware that the charm of the small town would soon succumb to real estate development.

The Old Post Office is one such painting. Here Kleitsch depicts a profile view of Laguna’s General Store on a sunny afternoon. A man sits on the porch, and a dog regards the viewer from the steps. The store was where residents received their mail; thus the title. It was owned by Joseph Yoch, proprietor of the Laguna Beach Hotel, and operated by his brother-in-law, Nick Isch.

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