Carl Rudolph "Fritz" Poock (February 20, 1877 – January 2, 1945) was an American artist born in Germany. He was a noted practitioner of the Plein-Air Painting style, an important movement in pre-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

, and a part of the influential Arroyo Seco art scene.

Early life

Fritz Poock was born in

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...

, Germany in 1877. He studied with Francisco del Marmol of Spain.

Move to Los Angeles

In 1905, Poock moved to Los Angeles, eventually settling in the Highland Park neighborhood. He worked in construction — including a stint at

Manzanillo, Mexico Manzanillo () is a city and seat of Manzanillo Municipality, in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico's busiest port, responsible for handling Pacific cargo for the Mexico City area. It is the large ...

, where he also painted — and as a mechanical drafter until retiring at age 50 to devote himself full-time to painting.

Career

Fritz Poock worked primarily in watercolor and was a member of the influential

California Art Club The California Art Club (CAC) is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. Founded in December 1909, it celebrated its centennial in 2009 and into the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved out of The ...

, painted a mural at

Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to SaMoHi, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Boulevard. It is a part o ...

and had shows at the venerable

Stendahl Galleries Earl L. Stendahl (December 11, 1888 – May 18, 1966) was a pioneering American art dealer known for promoting California Impressionism, modern and pre-Columbian art. The gallery he founded celebrated its centennial in 2011. Early life Stendahl wa ...

and the Friday Morning Club. Upon his death in 1945, his wife Doris Poock donated paintings to the City of Los Angeles and to the

Southwest Museum of the American Indian The Southwest Museum of the American Indian is a museum, library, and archive located in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, above the north-western bank of the Arroyo Seco (Los Angeles County) canyon and stream. The muse ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poock, Fritz 1877 births 1945 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century American male artists German male painters 20th-century German painters 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters People from Halberstadt Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States