James Ormsbee Chapin facts for kids
James Ormsbee Chapin (born July 9, 1887 – died July 12, 1975) was an American painter and illustrator. He was known for his art and for being the father of jazz musician Jim Chapin. He was also the grandfather of the famous folk singer Harry Chapin.
James Chapin's Life and Art
James Chapin was born in West Orange, New Jersey. He studied art at places like Cooper Union and the Art Students League of New York. He also traveled to Belgium to study at the Royal Academy of Antwerp.
Early in his career, Chapin won a special award called the Temple Gold Medal. He earned it for his paintings of a family known as the Marvin Family. He painted many well-known people. The magazine TIME even asked him to create at least five of their cover pictures. Other artists who drew for TIME during this time included Boris Artzybasheff and Boris Chaliapin.
Many people and art museums bought Chapin's artwork. His paintings are now in the permanent collections of places like The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and The Art Institute of Chicago. You can also find his art at The Phillips Collection and The Newark Museum.
Chapin's paintings of the Marvin family in the 1920s had a big impact on a group of artists called Regionalists. These artists included Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. James Chapin even took part in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics for painting.
Chapin married Abby Beal Forbes in New York in 1918. They had one son, James Forbes Chapin. James Forbes Chapin grew up to be a famous jazz drummer and was the father of singer-songwriter Harry Chapin. James and Abby later divorced.
While teaching art in California in the late 1930s, Chapin met Mary Fischer. They got married in 1941. Later, in 1969, he moved to Canada. He moved because he disagreed with the United States' actions in a certain part of the world. He passed away in Toronto in 1975.
James Chapin's Legacy
The James Ormsbee Chapin Papers are a collection of his letters, drawings, and other works. These papers were given to the Delaware Art Museum in 1994. They help us learn more about his life and art.
