Grant woods american gothic essay 1408 words bartleby. This book, published as the catalog for the traveling exhibit which premiered at the davenport museum of art in iowa 1995, is richly illustrated with some sixty of wood s paintings and preparatory studies. A new biography of grant wood, the painter of american gothic, presents. Grant woods american gothicthe double portrait of a pitchforkwielding farmer and a woman commonly presumed to be his wifeis perhaps the most recognizable painting in 20th century american art, an indelible icon of americana, and certainly woods most famous artwork. Before painting the american gothic, wood was a littleknown painter from iowa, but the prices of his works spiked once the painting became an instant classic.
This chapter by emily braun was informative and showed the wide reach of the book, with an especially engaging and creative analytic angle. The models on the painting were wood s sister, nan, wearing a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century americana, and wood s dentist, dr. Tripp evans is professor of art history at wheaton college in massachusetts. The book cover features a picture of the famous painting. This all changed when thomas hoving, former director of the metropolitan museum of art in new york city, came to iowa for a conference at the cedar rapids museum of art in 2005. Ever since it met the public eye in 1930, the painting american gothic has elicited admiration, disgust, reverence, and ridicule and has been reproduced hundreds of thousands of times, in every medium.
The painting brought wood almost instant fame after being exhibited for the first time at the art institute of chicago in 1930. Wood was inspired to paint what is now known as the american gothic house in eldon, iowa, along with the kind of people i fancied should live in that house. American gothic has become an american icon, but regionalism itself would never be thought of as a significant movement in the canon of us art history. Painted pictures you would see in the 20th century. American gothic american gothic is an iconic painting that has been parodied countless times and has cemented itself in popular culture, instantly recognizable to most americans as a classic work of 20thcentury art. The life of grant wood wood, susan, macdonald, ross on. Stone city, iowa, 1932 example of regionalism art grant wood 1930 stone city, iowa oil on composition board x cm joslyn art museum, omaha ne grant wood american painter of the rural midwest and closely associated with the regionalism movement. None of grants other works were ever as successful. Back home in america, grant asked his sister and his dentist to pose for what would become a uniquely american work of art and the founding iconic image of regionalism. Grant woods american gothic painting the portrait of the two iowan farmers, one with a pitchfork is housed in the chicago art institute, where i visit 23 times a year. American gothic is a 1930 painting by grant wood in the collection of the art institute of chicago. But woods career consists of far more than one single painting.
An excellent picture book biography of regionalist artist grant wood. American gothic has been interpreted as both a critique and a celebration of rural life, and it seems to. Grant wood, born february, 1891, near anamosa, iowa, u. The famous painting named american gothic was painted by grant wood in 1930, and is one of the most recognizable american paintings of the 20 th century. Hoving writes of the pitchfork that the farmer is holding. There isnt too much text but the words mixed with ross macdonalds friendly pictures on each page give an accurate view of woods life and his american gothic painting ive always thought it could also be called american exceptionalism as it visually sums up the ideals of that philosophy. An american painter born in the early 1890s in iowa. Steven biel explores the strangely enduring life of americas most popular painting. American gothic and other fables, an attempt to broaden and complicate woods. It depicts a farmer standing beside his daughter often mistakenly assumed to be his wife.
We will be discussing the artist grant wood and the paintings he created. The story behind grant woods american gothic the painting is a touchstone of american culture, depicting an upright midwestern family on the farm. Find art you love and shop highquality art prints, photographs, framed artworks and posters at. Young readers are treated to a crash course in modern art while witnessing woods evolution as an artist. American gothic du peintre grant wood est lune des. American gothic has become arguably the most parodied painting in history. They pose in front of an 1880s woodframe house which still exists as a tourist attraction in the iowa town of eldon built in the american gothic or carpenters gothic style. Grant woods american gothic painting the portrait of the two iowan. He painted it in 1930, depicting a farmer standing beside a woman who has been interpreted.
When she died in 1990, her estate, along with woods personal effects and various works of art, became the property of the figge art museum in davenport, iowa the world war ii liberty ship ss grant wood was named in his honor. Grant wood is an attractive and professional book with a useful balance between text and image. Illustrator macdonald wonderfully reproduces wood s art and brightly, clearly, illustrates his life. New book explores grant woods tumultuous time at ui fyi. See more ideas about american gothic, grant wood and american gothic parody. Painted in 1930 by grant wood, this simple work was inspired by 19thcentury farmhouse architecture, and the people who lived in.
American gothic and a grant wood retrospective are. This book focuses largely on his most famous work, american gothic, but also recounts his childhood and early art life in europe and discusses other works. American gothic is a painting by grant wood in the collection of the art institute of chicago. It wasnt until he stumbled upon gothic art that grant recognized something familiar. The hard, cold realism of this painting and the honest, direct, earthy quality of its subject were unusual in american art. Woods inspiration came in his decision to paint what is known as the american gothic house along with the kind of people i fancied should live in that house. Grant wood s 18911942 paintings epitomized the regionalist movement and attracted an immense popular audience. The wonderfully queer world of american gothics grant wood. This is a digitized image of the original painting american gothic that grant wood, a master artist of the twentieth century, created in 1930 and sold to the art institute of. American gothic is a picture book biography that explores the birth of the famous painting, the movement that made it possible, and the artist who created it all. American gothic and other fables, at the whitney museum of american art in new york through june 10. Grant wood american gothic and other fables the new yorker. It is probably the most reproduced and parodied works of art, and has become a staple within american popculture. Grant wood, american gothic 1930, art institute of chicago.
American gothic and other fables, the exhibition will bring together a full range of wood s oeuvre, from his early arts and crafts decorative objects and impressionist oils through his mature paintings, murals, works on paper, and book illustrations. The art institute of chicago grant wood, american 18911942 1930 oil on beaverboard 29 14 x 24 58 in. The story behind grant wood s american gothic the painting is a touchstone of american culture, depicting an upright midwestern family on the farm. The work ostensibly portrays a farmer and his daughtermodelled. Grant wood 18911942 is bestknown for his painting american gothic, one of the most recognizable portraits in history, but there is much that is unfamiliar about the artist himself. Grant woods american gothic, 1930, part of grant wood. Birthplace of american gothic presents his decorative art and design work within the larger context of his paintings, drawings and prints for the first time. More than american gothic a careerspanning show at the whitney argues that wood is far more complicated than his reputation as the sentimental bard of an idealized rural life. Known for painting countries and outside activities and portraits. American gothic the story behind grant woods iconic.
Hoving had just published his book, american gothic. American gothic is a painting by american artist grant wood in 1930. Why that came to be is not easy to explain, a combination of academic squabbles, personality clashes, and the movement of art history that led to a general forgetting of. Grant devolson wood february, 1891 february 12, 1942 was an american painter best known for his paintings depicting the rural american midwest, particularly american gothic 1930, which has become an iconic painting of the 20th century. Color in the painting and print it out, save it to your library or email it to your friends. Steven zucker grant wood, american gothic, 1930, oil on beaver board, 78 x 65. Almost everyone knows grant woods american gothic, the hypnotic painting of a pitchforktoting farmer and his daughter. Using his sister and his dentist as models, he created his most famous work, american gothic, shown at the chicago art institute in 1930. He received his doctoral degree in the history of art from yale university and has served as a visiting lecturer at yale, wellesley college, and brown university. Grant wood, american, 18911942, american gothic, 1930, oil on beaver board, 78 x 65. But to many fans of the pictureand its many parodiesthe rest.
I grew up seeing this painting, and knew a bit about woods iowan farmers roots and his traveling to europe to explore different art styles. American gothic is, by a very wide margin, his most effective picture although dinner for threshers, from 1934, a long, low, cutaway view of a farmhouse at harvesttime, might be his. On march 2, 2018, the whitney museum of american art in new york city opened its much anticipated exhibition, grant wood. While the title piece for the show is woods masterpiece perhaps the most famous image in the history of american art, the exhibition enlightens viewers on far more than american gothic. Impressionism, cubism, and abstract art didnt reflect his view of the world. The artistic focus was from artists who shunned city life, and rapidly. American gothic is a picturebook biography that explores the birth of the. American gothic, grant wood 1930 culture the guardian. Art criticism worksheet write your first and last name todays date art period 1, 2, 3, or 4 your grade level 9 th, 10, 11 th, 12 now we will practice researching famous artists. The story behind the painting is the subject of thomas hovings book american gothic. Of particular note in my reading was the chapter, cryptic corn.
Exploring woods oeuvre from a variety of perspectives, this book presents the. Yet wood intended it to be a positive statement about rural american values, an image of reassurance at a time of great dislocation and. Grant s art celebrated hardworking americans who finally saw themselves depicted in fine art. American gothic was the painting that got grant wood recognized as a respectable artist, because he was all but ignored before this work. The models on the painting were woods sister, nan, wearing a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century americana, and woods dentist, dr. The 1930 oil painting will be the centerpiece of the exhibition grant wood.
Blue ribbon selection, bulletin of the center for childrens books. When wood died, his estate went to his sister, nan wood graham, the woman portrayed in american gothic. Mexican antiquity in the american imagination, 18201915 2004. Grant wood 18911941 was a prophet not of a nation but of a region. Wood went home to iowa and got to work creating art based on the real people and places of his region. Woods narrative reads like a treasured story about an admired family member. It will be occupied by men who had, in the first place, a special relation with the land, men who are capable of regionalism. American gothic, often understood as a satirical comment on the midwestern character, quickly became one of americas most famous paintings and is now firmly entrenched in the nations popular culture. Grant woods american gothic is one of the most famous paintings in the history of american art. From humble beginnings sketching iowas cornfields and rolling hills as a child, grant wood became the father of regionalism, an artistic. American gothicone of the most recognizable american paintingsis featured in the exhibition through june 11. Shown is a farmer and his spinster daughter in front of their house.
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