Early Life, Family and Training
Schomer Lichtner was born on March 18, 1905, in Peoria, Illinois. As a child, he moved to Wisconsin, a place that would shape much of his later life and subject matter. His formal training began at the Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee, where he took courses under the painter Gustave Moeller. Seeking further instruction, he traveled to New York City to study at the Art Students League.
He eventually returned to Wisconsin to continue his studies. For two years, he studied at UW–Madison, working with the art historian Oskar Hagen. He graduated in 1929. In 1934, he married Ruth Grotenrath, a fellow artist. The two lived a life centered around their creative practices, and together they had one child, Peter Lichtner.
Artistic Style and Recurring Motifs
There is a specific, playful energy in the way he placed a ballerina alongside a Holstein cow. These juxtapositions were not accidental; they grew from his time spent in the countryside of Washington County, Wisconsin, and his later role as the official artist of the Milwaukee Ballet. He often paired these figures with beautiful women, flowers, and quiet country landscapes. His work moved toward expressionistic design, using bold, flat areas of color and a high level of energy that felt both witty and vigorous.
His compositions often relied on a sense of movement and lightness. He captured the grace of dancers and the heavy, patterned presence of dairy cows, sometimes merging the two into single, whimsical scenes. This approach allowed him to explore a variety of subjects through a lens of high energy and structured design. His later work leaned into these expressive elements, favoring strong shapes over subtle shading.
Patrons, Workshop and Commissions
During the mid-1930s, Lichtner and his wife, Ruth Grotenrath, found steady work through federal art programs. They both took on projects for the Works Project Administration, navigating the requirements of the Treasury Relief Art Project and the Public Works Art Project. These assignments often placed them in public spaces, where their work met the daily lives of citizens. He completed murals for post offices in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Hamtramck, Michigan.
His reach extended beyond these government-funded roles into the private and industrial sectors. He painted murals for various private clients and for local industry. One such commission, completed about 1955, was a large mural depicting the industry of Milwaukee’s northwest side. This work, measuring 10 by 35 feet, was eventually donated by M&I Bank to the Kohler Foundation to ensure its preservation.
Technique and Artistic Mediums
Lichtner’s hand moved through many different textures. He worked as a printmaker, producing block prints, lithographs, and serigraph prints. In his smaller works, such as the offset lithograph titled 'Winter Silhouettes,' the paper itself becomes part of the image. The texture of the paper's tooth gives the appearance of wind-swept snow or a surface trodden by creatures. He used the white of the paper to suggest the ground, letting the foliage emerge from the void.
His paintings often utilized casein and acrylic. He applied these to the rural Wisconsin landscape and to his depictions of farm animals. There is a specific lightness in his approach to form, seen in the way he created the stick figure. His work often balanced the heavy presence of dairy cows with the delicate lines of dancers. He also worked in painted steel, as seen in his sculpture Dancing Through Life, which features a ballerina perched upon a multicolor cow.
Later Years and Death
The later decades of his life were marked by a continued presence in the academic and local art community. Between 1960 and 1969, he shared his practice with students at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, teaching both painting and drawing. Even as he aged, his hands remained active. He continued to create art and stayed fully engaged in the rhythms of daily life until a fall occurred just one week before he passed away.
He died on May 9, 2006, at his own home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was 101 years old. His passing marked the end of a long life spent alongside his wife, Ruth Grotenrath, within the same creative circles of the city.
Where to See the Works Today
His paintings and prints have found permanent homes in several institutions across the United States. In Washington, D.C., his work is held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Moving through the Midwest, his presence is felt in the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Racine Art Museum. These collections hold pieces that reflect his long engagement with the landscapes and figures of the region.
Other repositories for his art include the Chazen Museum of Art and the Museum of Wisconsin Art. His work also resides within the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Because of his close ties to the local dance scene, his imagery can be found in the collections of the Milwaukee Ballet Company. These various locations preserve the visual record of his life's work.
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