Grant Wood created “American Gothic” in 1930. He used oil on beaverboard. The story goes that in August 1930, Grant Wood visited Eldon, Iowa, where he saw a modest residence built in the 1980s in a style known as Carpenter Gothic. The house inspired Wood to imagine its residents; an insular Victorian pair clinging to old values, or “American gothic people” as he described them. Wood asked his dentist and his sister to serve as models for the farmer and his unmarried daughter. He constructed the painting to convey the couples gender roles, pairing the man with a pitch fork to suggest his labor, and placing houseplants behind the women as a symbol of domesticity.
I found this piece of art fascinating. There was a huge difference between seeing this picture in books, to finally seeing it in person, and it did not disappoint. The way that the farmers faces are shown really stands out as if they were not happy with their life at the time. The way all the different colors complement each other so well. From far away, it is hard to pick out all the small little details including, the pattern on the ladies shirt, the curtain in the window, the texture on the roof symbolizing the panels on top of a roof, and also just the shear complexion on the faces of the two. It truly is a beautiful piece of art.
Personally, I believe that the artist is trying to show the struggle of being a farmer. The way that the two looks gives me the impression that they are not happy. Also you can notice that the mans clothes are not very luxurious. In fact, it looks like he has pajamas underneath the overalls. Another big thing I noticed was the old man’s age. It may seem to look like he isn’t happy, but that could just be his face due to ageing. I feel like using the oil was a good call on this picture. I feel that if he were to use paint, then we would not get the details of the completion of their skin and the tones in the woman’s hair as detailed as it is in the picture.
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Overall, I really enjoyed writing about this picture. I’ve always wanted to see it in person but never came around to it. It was way better then I could’ve imagined it. I highly recommend going to the art institute just to see this picture. I will definitely be going back.
