Francis Chapin

As an instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1929 to 1947, Francis Chapin was affectionately known as the “dean of Chicago painting” for his influence on the many artists who studied with him—including fellow Art to Live With artists Max Kahn and Eleanor Coen. Chapin was a figurehead of the 20th century Chicago arts scene, and his ability to create such gradation in shadow and line helped elevate lithography to a fine art form when it had long been considered a purely commercial practice.