Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design or Rudolph Schaeffer School of Rhythmo-Chromatic Design (1924 – 1984) was an art school located in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California, best known for its courses in color and interior design. The school was founded by artist

Rudolph Schaeffer Rudolph Frederick Schaeffer (June 26, 1886 – March 5, 1988) an American arts educator and artist connected to the Arts and Crafts movement. He was the founder of the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, a school that was based in San Francisco an ...

History

The school founder, Rudolph Schaeffer had studied in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

(1914 to 1915) through the United States Commission of Education, learn about the study of color, design, and craft and how it was being taught in public, industrial, and trade schools. He also studied

color theory In the visual arts, color theory is the body of practical guidance for color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. Color terminology based on the color wheel and its geometry separates colors into primary color, seconda ...

under Ralph Johonnot. The Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design was an art school founded in 1924 in

, California. Originally named the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Rhythmo-Chromatic Design, located at 136 St. Anne Street in the

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

neighborhood of San Francisco. Other artists had studios in the Anne Street building, including

Bertha Lum Bertha Boynton Lum (1869 – 1954) was an American artist known for helping popularize the Japanese and Chinese woodblock print outside of Asia. Early life In May 1869, Lum was born as Bertha Boynton Bull in Tipton, Iowa. Lum's father was Jose ...

and Frances Revett Wallace. In 1951 the school moved to

Telegraph Hill A telegraph hill is a hill or other natural elevation that is chosen as part of an optical telegraph system. Telegraph Hill may also refer to: England * A high point in the Haldon Hills, Devon * Telegraph Hill, Dorset, a hill in the Dorset Down ...

. In the 1950s, in order to educate the public and students about Asian culture, Schaeffer invited Dr.

Haridas Chaudhuri Haridas Chaudhuri (May 1913 – 1975) was an Indian integral philosopher. He was a correspondent with Sri Aurobindo and the founder of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Early life and career He was born in May 1913 in Shyam ...

, founder of California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) to give public lectures at his East-West Arts Gallery. By 1960 the school moved to

Potrero Hill Potrero Hill is a residential neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is known for its views of the San Francisco Bay and city skyline, its proximity to many destination spots, its sunny weather, and having two freeways and a Caltrain stat ...

at 2255 Mariposa Street. In 1984 the school closed after financial issues and disagreements in terms of direction of the school between Schaeffer and the Board of Trustees.

Notable students

A list of notable alumni from Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, in alphabetical order by last name. * Dorr Bothwell (1902–2002), artist, designer and author of "'' Notan – on the Interaction of Positive and Negative Spaces"'' * Henry Doane (1905–1999), landscape painter and commercial artist *

Manny Farber Emanuel Farber (February 20, 1917 – August 18, 2008) was an American painter, film critic and writer. Often described as "iconoclastic",Grimes, William (August 19, 2008) ''New York Times''Kiderra, Inga (August 21, 2008Obituary: Artist and Crit ...

(1917–2008), painter and writer * Edward McNeil Farmer (1901–1969), painter and former professor at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. * George Gaethke (1898–1982), WPA-era artist, painter, printmaker *

Dorothy Rieber Joralemon Dorothy Rieber Joralemon (March 19, 1893 – March 22, 1987) was an American abstract sculptor, children's portrait artist and writer based in Northern California. Early life and education Born in San Francisco as Dorothy Rieber, she was the da ...

(1893–1987), sculptor * Dorothy Wagner Puccinelli (1901–1974), WPA-era artist and muralist, enrolled in 1925 With * Raymond Puccinelli (1904–1986), sculptor, former professor of sculpture * Lanette Scheeline (1910–2001) artist and textile designer *

Geraldine Knight Scott Geraldine "Gerry" Knight Scott (July 16, 1904 – August 2, 1989) was a California landscape architect. She taught landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. S ...

(1904–1989), landscape architect * Michael Taylor (1927–1986), interior designer *

Louise Dahl-Wolfe Louise Dahl-Wolfe (November 19, 1895 – December 11, 1989) was an American photographer. She is known primarily for her work for '' Harper's Bazaar'', in association with fashion editor Diana Vreeland. Background Louise Emma Augusta Dahl was bo ...

(1895–1989), photographer - from Schaeffer's teachings at

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

References

External links

The Rudolph Schaeffer Papers 1880–1994
from the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

, Smithsonian Institution {{authority control Art schools in California Art in the San Francisco Bay Area Universities and colleges in San Francisco Design schools in the United States Defunct private universities and colleges in California 1924 establishments in California 1984 disestablishments in California Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design