A Life of Diverse Artistry Hans Schmithals was a German painter, draftsperson, architect, and craftsperson. After a commercial apprenticeship in Darmstadt, he studied at the Lehr- und Versuch-Ateliers für angewandte und freie Kunst, also known as the Debschitz School, in Munich. His training there led him to become a teacher of hand-printed wallpaper. His artistic practice was characterized by a lack of distinction between fine and ap…