rotting corpse of a young man at C is being supported by three other men, while two women weep at his mangled legs and feet; men supporting corpse all have rotting faces; man at L has stern look on face and holds up two bloody fingers; man at back center smiles; man at R weeps

%C2%A9 James Ormsbee Chapin

A Medal for Johnnie, 1967-69

Not on Viewexpand_more

James Ormsbee Chapin was a lifelong liberal in politics and occasionally a radical, supporting causes that were at odds from time to time (like racial equality) with that of his government. He is best-known for the empathetic and thoughtful paintings he made in the 1920s and 1930s of workers, farm laborers and their families. A Medal for Johnny is an astonishing icon of antiwar vitriol that derived from his involvement in pacifist groups and his particular anger over the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. Chapin was so upset over the climate in the U.S. that in 1969 Chapin sold his small farm in New Jersey and moved his family to Toronto to protest the United States involvement in Vietnam and to insure that his two sons would not be called for military service.

Details
Title
A Medal for Johnnie
Artist Life
1887 - 1975
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2017.108
Curator Approved

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rotting corpse of a young man at C is being supported by three other men, while two women weep at his mangled legs and feet; men supporting corpse all have rotting faces; man at L has stern look on face and holds up two bloody fingers; man at back center smiles; man at R weeps

© James Ormsbee Chapin

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