Atelier 17 - William Hayter - Louis Schanker

Louis Schanker and William Hayter taught art classes together at the New School for
Social Research in Manhattan during the 1940's. (Hayter ran Atelier 17 in Paris from
1927 until the outbreak of WWII in 1940.)  For a period of time Hayter's imported
Atelier 17 studio shared space with Schanker's art studio. (American Prints and
Printmakers, Johnson, 1980.) Hayter, who primarily worked on etchings, had great
respect for Schanker's woodcuts, printmaking techniques and role as a teacher of
a whole generation of new artists.  This is evidenced in the quotes from his book,
About Prints, 1962, (see below) and in the personal letter requesting a second,
color print for the book.    They remained lifelong friends.   Hayter gave the trial
proof (essai,) of the 1972 print, Claduegne (name of French river near Hayter's home,)
to Schanker.

"About Prints," S. W. Hayter, 1962, Oxford University Press

Pg. 21
Louis Schanker, who since the thirties has been one of the most active teachers in
this technique..

He headed a printmaking project in WPA (a relief scheme set up by Roosevelt during the
depression), and from his example the great development of colour woodcut in
America chiefly stems.

Pg. 118

Within this organization [WPA] Schanker inducted a great number of young Americans
into the craft of wood-cut--more especially his particular technique of printing from different
blocks wet on wet, to give results approaching the richness and the complexity of oil painting.