Lot 191A

Charles S. Chapman Painting - "The Winds of War" (1918)

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Lot 191
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Charles S. Chapman Painting - "The Winds of War" (1918)
Charles S. Chapman Painting - "The Winds of War" (1918)
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Charles S. Chapman Painting - "The Winds of War" (1918)

Estimate: $1,500 - $2,250

Starting Bid: $650

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 6, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Ca. 1900 - 1950 CE. Charles Shepard Chapman (American, 1879-1962). "The Winds of War" oil on board, 1918. Signed "Charles S. Chapman '18" lower right. A monumental painting captures the chaos and brutality of a World War I battlefield. British Allied soldiers, clad in steel doughboy helmets, huddle within the jagged confines of their trench, pressed against coils of barbed wire as they brace for the inevitable command to charge. Beyond them stretches the desolation of no-man's land—a scarred expanse churned into mud—where bullets slice the air, shrapnel bursts in violent flashes, and clouds of poison gas drift ominously across the horizon. An important work, rich in both artistry and historical significance, presented in a custom frame and accompanied by an engraved brass plaque identifying the artist and the title.

In the lower right, the shadowy silhouette of a tank emerges through thick, swirling smoke, its form half-lost in the haze, embodying the grim machinery of modern warfare. Around it, shattered tree trunks stand like skeletal remains, their splintered limbs reaching upward in silent testimony to the devastation. Towering plumes of smoke dominate the composition, swallowing sky and earth alike, until the entire scene feels suffocated by destruction, movement, and dread.

About the Artist: Born in Morristown, New York, on June 2, 1870, Charles Shepard Chapman studied art at the Pratt Institute from 1896 to 1898 and at the Chase School of Art (later known as the New York School of Art) in 1899 under William Merritt Chase and Walter Appleton Clark. He later taught at the Art Students League of New York and went on to open his own School of Illustration in Leonia, New Jersey, with Harvey Dunn.



A painter, printmaker, illustrator, and teacher, Chapman created murals for the American Museum of Natural History and a West Virginia post office. He also traveled extensively in the American West—first visiting California in 1923, then San Juan in 1931, and spending several years working at the Grand Canyon



Among his many honors, Chapman was a member of the Salmagundi Club, where he received numerous awards. He was elected an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1919 and became a full Academician in 1926. His work was exhibited at the National Academy of Design from 1908 to 1950, and today his art is held in major collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Provenance: Private New York, USA collection; ex Lands Beyond Time, New York, USA

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Item # 201549

  • Condition: Signed "Charles S. Chapman '18" at the lower right. Expected age wear with some areas of loss - most located toward the peripheries - areas of craquelure and signs of repair/restoration in the upper right quadrant, and areas of discoloration as shown. On the verso, there is a very old shipping label at the upper left corner. The frame also shows expected age wear with surface abrasions, scuffs, and nicks/chips as shown. Fit with suspension wire.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000