Francis Chapin

A Large, 1950s, Oil on Masonite Painting of a Michigan Harbor by Francis Chapin

ca. 1950

A Charming 1950s Mid-Century Modern Harbor Scene of Martha's Vineyard by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Completed near the artist's studio and summer home in the historic whaling port town of Edgartown, Massachusetts; a cheerful, diminutive painting of a busy sunlit boat dock. Artwork size: 8 3/4" x 11 3/4". Framed size: 12 1/2" x 15 1/2". Estate stepped on reverse. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Francis Chapin, affectionately called the “Dean of Chicago Painters” by his colleagues, was one of the city’s most popular and celebrated painters in his day. Born at the dawn of the 20th Century in Bristolville, Ohio, Chapin graduated from Washington & Jefferson College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1922. He would set down deep roots at the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibiting there over 31 times between 1926 and 1951. In 1927 Chapin won the prestigious Bryan Lathrop Fellowship from the Art Institute – a prize that funded the artist’s yearlong study trip to Europe. Upon his return to the United States, Chapin decided to remain in Chicago, noting the freedom Chicago artists have in developing independently of the pressure to conform to pre-existing molds (as was experienced by artists in New York, for example). Chapin became a popular instructor at the Art Institute, teaching there from 1929 to 1947 and at the Art Institute’s summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan (now called Oxbow) between 1934 – 1938 (he was the director of the school from 1941-1945). A prolific painter, Chapin produced numerous works while traveling in Mexico, France, Spain, Saugatuck and Martha’s Vineyard, where he frequently spent summers and taught at the Old Sculpin Gallery there. Chapin was best recognized for his dynamic and vibrant images of Chicago during the 1930s and 40s. Chapin was a resident of the Old Town neighborhood where he lived and kept his studio on Menomonee Street for many years. Described as a “colorful figure, nearly 6 feet 6 inches tall, and thin, and usually wearing tweeds”, it is easy to imagine Chapin at work observing the busy street life of the city. In addition to his many exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chapin’s work was shown during his lifetime at such institutions as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia; the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the National Academy of Design, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, among others. Francis Chapin’s paintings are represented in the collections the Art Institute of Chicago; the Friedman Collection, Chicago; the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown; the Denver Art Museum; the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse; the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach...

A large tonal, Mid-Century harbor scene with boats by French artist Georges Rocher. Artwork size: 24" x 30". Framed size: 31" x 36". Georges Rocher was born in Casablanca, Moroc...

A large & delightful oil on Masonite, ca. 1950s, Martha's Vineyard street scene painting by artist Francis Chapin. Image size: 24" x 36". Framed size: 27" x 37". In a painted woo...

A Charming 1950s painting titled "Oak Bluffs, Mass." (Martha's Vineyard) by notable artist Francis Chapin. artwork size: 8" x 10". Framed size: 12 3/4" x 15". Provenance: Estat...

Impressive early American modernist abstract seascape oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas board. Signed. Image size, 16H by 20L.

Oil on Masonite, 19 ½” x 23 ½”. Signed and Dated Bennard Perlman, 1953 Perlman received his BFA from Carnegie-Mellon University and an MA from the University of Pittsburgh. For 3...

Summer Resort in Michigan is an exceptional work painted by the Chicago Modernist, William Schwartz. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago shortly ...

Harbor Melbourne. 1982, oil on canvas, 50x60 cm Expressive colorful summer landscape of Melbourne harbor with yachts and people Ludmila Meilerte (1908 – 2008) - Painter 1940 – The Art Academy of Latvia, the masterclass of V. Purvitis. 1944 – Emigration to Germany. 1948 – Emigration to Australia. L. Meilerte took part at Latvian and Australian art exhibitions. She painted landscapes, still life’s, portraits. Her paintings are expressive and colorful. The artist was awarded in regional exhibitions and competitions. Dunlop Prize 1952, the Gosford Art Prize (1st prize) judged by Sir Russel Drysdale 1971, and the Victorian Artists Society`s Pirstitz Prize and gold medal in 1982. Royal exhibition in Melburn – 1975, 1976. Ludmilla Meilerts is represented in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Tasmanian Art...