Arthur F. Mathews

Arthur F. Mathews (1860–1945), American, A leading figure in the California Decorative Style, this painter and furniture designer brought a refined, harmonious aesthetic to the American Arts and Crafts movement. With a background in Parisian academic training under Jules Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger, his work blended classical precision with a distinctly West Coast sensibility—softened lines, muted earth tones, and allegorical subjects that celebrated regional identity. Murals and stained glass designs often featured idealized figures draped in flowing garments, evoking a timeless California pastoralism.
Though less flashy than contemporaries like William Keith, his influence permeated Bay Area culture through teaching and collaborations with his wife, Lucia Kleinhans Mathews. Together, they ran a design studio producing everything from bookplates to entire interior schemes, championing craftsmanship amid industrialization. His compositions leaned into symmetry and quiet grandeur, whether depicting mythic goddesses or the rolling hills of Marin County. Later critics sometimes dismissed the work as overly genteel, but recent reappraisals highlight its role in shaping Northern California’s visual lexicon—a bridge between European tradition and emerging West Coast modernism.