Rudolf Hess (January 31, 1903 – November 9, 1986) was an American fine art painter, sculptor and art critic, based in Northern California. His work is of the German Expressionist school[1] and the subject matter covers many genres including landscapes and nature, portraits and everyday city life.
Hess was an art critic and contributor to The Argus, which was a popular San Francisco-based art journal, known for being conservative and primarily highlighting the technical aspects of painting.[2] Hess visited artist Diego Rivera in Mexico, in order to write about him and learn more about his process and his most recent mural.[2] However Hess wrote a scathing review in The Argus (in 1928) titled, “The Tragedy of Rivera," which criticized Diego Rivera as an artist, and Rivera's mural at Secretaría de Educación Pública in Mexico City.[3][2][4] This article helped in polarized the art community and prompted artist Ralph Stackpole, who was both a founder of The Argus and a friend of Diego Rivera to write a letter in January 1929 to The Argus editor, in response.[5]
A 1982 magazine was published by the California Department of Transportation, Highway Recollections of Rudolf Hess, Issue 35 and constituents of a recorded interview of Hess.[8]
^Hess, Rudolf (October 1928). "The Tragedy of Rivera". The Argus. 4. San Francisco: Argus Publish Company: 207. Retrieved 2018-06-16 – via Google Books.
