In 1930, amidst the fields of rural America affected by the bitter realities of the Great Depression, Grant Wood preserved a piece of Americana that would resonate throughout history. Using meticulous brushstrokes, Wood captures the essence of a nation in hurt and triumph in his iconic painting, American Gothic. I will argue that the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood holds significant importance in art history due to its portrayal of American rural life during the Great Depression era, its exploration of national identity and values, and its lasting impact on American art and culture, symbolizing both tradition and modernity. The Great Depression was a severe economic downturn that burdened the United States, along with much of the world, …show more content…
“American Gothic” reflects the struggles and values of rural America during this time. Despite the hardships of farmers of the time, including the two figures in this painting, they exude a sense of resilience and determination. The farmer’s firm grip on the pitchfork and the daughter’s steady gaze suggest a commitment to hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity. Dr. Steven Zucker, in Grant Wood, American Gothic, states as the viewer looks at this piece they can “see this farmer, see perhaps as the artist said, his daughter, standing before their simple farm house”, Dr, Beth Harris adds “so there is a sense of hardworking, practical people, kind of conservative aspect of America”. Everything within this painting goes back to reflecting the heart of America and who people were during the Great Depression and even in the Midwest as a whole. In order for the understanding of who these people were, a large part of this painting relied on the accurate portrayal of the American Midwest during the early 20th century. Wood depicted his dentist and his sister playing the part of father and daughter in the
spearheaded by Grant Wood and his world famous work American Gothic, a ranch style home with gothic upper window, and Wood’s sister and family dentist as the happy farm couple. The Regionalism movement is an American Scene movement that was created in the early 1900’s. The Regionalism movement focuses on landscapes in the United States. Before the Regionalism movement many of these artists painted in the modernism and impressionism movements. Artists such as Andrew Wyeth took what they have seen
Allee McIntyre – Art 2210 – MW 2pm American Gothic and The Great Depression American Gothic is a painting by American artist Grant Wood in 1930. Shown in the painting is what appears to be a farmer and his spinster daughter in front of their house. However, the models for the painting were Grant Wood’s sister, Nan, wearing a colonial print apron mimicking the 19th century Americana style, and Wood’s dentist, Doctor Byron McKeeby from the state of Iowa. Wood painted the house along with the people
Grant Wood’s American Gothic is one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting brought Wood almost instant fame after being exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930. It is probably the most reproduced and parodied works of art, and has become a staple within American pop-culture. The portrait of what appears to be a couple, standing solemnly in front of their mid-western home seems to be a simplistic representation of rural America. As simple
Grant Wood I recently took a trip to the Jocelyn Art Museum. There they had many great painting in the permanent art collection. One that caught my eye, which I had seen many times before, but never knew any thing about, was a painting called Stone City, Iowa , which was created by Grant Wood in 1930. This painting is oil on wood panel and is 30 ¼ X 40 inches. Grant Wood is a famous philosopher who was born in February in the year 1891 in Anamosa, Iowa. Wood was born to Quaker parents on a
In 1930, an artist by the name of Grant Wood painted American Gothic. The painting consists of a man and woman who happened to be brother and sister in real life. Two modes of analysis are used to compose this art analysis. A biographical analysis is used because the artist, Grant Wood, grew up and lived on a farm for most of his life in Iowa. By painting the background to look as if it were set on a farm, Grant Wood references the setting back to the time of living on the farm in Iowa. A contextual
Grant Wood was a Regionalist artist who continually endeavored to capture the idyllic beauty of America’s farmlands. In 1930 he had been roaming through his hometown in Iowa searching for inspiration when he stumbled upon a house that left him spellbound. From this encounter came America’s iconic American Gothic. Not long after Wood’s masterpiece was complete the once ideal countryside and the people who tended to it were overcome by despair and suffering as the Great Depression came to be. It was
movement? Both of these questions have a simple answer, yes. What scholars and erudites have a hard time answering is why. Maybe because there is no reason why, or society should not question the motive behind gender roles. As a result, only a sprinkling of non-God loving people went upon themselves to question and/or challenge gender roles, for example Kate Chopin in her literary works. Her literary works, published in the nineteenth
Madeline H. History Major Paper 3 May, 2018 Prompt: How was it that during a time of such economic, personal, and social depression, the popular culture of the US blossomed in a way that had not been seen in our countries history until that point? What factors caused this great cultural flourishing, despite the negative effects of the Great Depression? In the Great Depression, with no money and nothing else to do, people turned to anything to keep their attention off of their own poverty and misfortune
fashion, but I found myself doing more and more work on the south side, the poverty stricken areas where the blacks lived. That is what got me a Rosenwald Fellowship, the first one ever given in photography. At the time, Jack Delano was in Chicago and he encouraged me to come to the Farm Security Administration. I wanted to work at the FSA because they were doing what I wanted to do ; exposing poverty in America- and along with poverty I wanted to expose racism in America, so I sort of fit right
Subject Placement in “American Gothic,” “The Third of May,” “The Acrobat’s Family,” and “The Waterseller” Besides bright or dim colors, and fine or rough brush strokes, artists use centralized composition to convey their interpretations in "The Acrobat's Family with a Monkey," "Amercian Gothic," "The Water-Seller," and "The Third of May,1808.” Grant Wood strategically places objects and characters to emphasize the central object, the pitchfork, expressing an atmosphere of unwelcomness, in
has been a haven for unity and freedom for decades. To achieve this requires much loss and pain. The strive of the American culture for the attainment of such social luxuries is of great courage, will-power, faith and pride. During a time when the first World War had ended and the country was in a state of isolation, there were people within its borders that had an undying belief in what this country stood for. Though often overlooked and underappreciated in their time, artists had an advantage of using
web most colleges and universities now give the option to enroll in online classes. This rise in online education spawned a new form of university, fully online universities. Author Graeme Wood presents in his essay, “Is College Doomed?” a wonderful example of what a college or university should not be. Graeme Wood describes Minerva, an online university with the goal of stripping education to only the essentials. Minerva wants to take away campuses, sports, lectures, and most amenities leaving only
What Does It Mean To Be An American? Many People who live in America believe they are more than just ‘Americans’ but a blend of different people and cultures all mixed together. So what makes anyone an American? What does it really mean to be an American? Does having set values and the rights make them Americans? ‘The American dream’ was not just a dream but a reality that our ancestors fraught to achieve. There are many articles, books and art that try to show and make people understand what being
Photojournalism: An Introduction Photojournalism is a form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. Photojournalism is often understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term may also refer to video clips such as those used in broadcast journalism. This form of journalism is distinguished from documentary photography, street photography, celebrity photography and other related branches of photography as the photojournalists follow a rigid ethical framework
this commercial art can be found in the art of the last one hundred years. Cartoons come first to mind when thinking about the different ways 20th century art have impacted modern day art and design. Long before I saw the original "American Gothic" by Grant Wood, I laughed at a portrait of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck standing together in front of a farm house with pitch fork in hand. Most cartoons seem to have an underlying humor meant to be understood by even the most articulate and intellectual