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.
"Schmitz-Pleis, Carl". In: Hans Vollmer (Ed.): Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts, Vol. 4: Q–U. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1958, pg.204
Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf, Galerie Paffrath (Hrsg.): Lexikon der Düsseldorfer Malerschule 1819–1918. Band 3: Nabert – Zwecker. München 1998, ISBN 3-7654-3011-0, S. 224.
