Grant Wood
Iowa's gothic painter
Grant Wood was an American painter (1891–1942) associated with Regionalism, a movement celebrating rural Midwestern life.
His most famous work, *American Gothic*, depicts a stern-faced farmer and woman before a house with a distinctive Gothic window.
The painting has become one of the most parodied images in American art.
Wood's style featured smooth, stylized forms and meticulous detail.
Dwelling on agricultural land
- cornfieldCultivated plot of maize
- barnAgricultural storage structure
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
- countrysideRural area beyond towns
homestead · plow · harvest · prairie · silo · tractor · windmill · orchard
Wood's stoic rural portrait
- pitchforkPronged tool for moving straw
- Arbor DayTree-planting holiday
- oil paintingArt made with linseed-bound pigments
- portraitArtistic depiction of someone
landscape · canvas · brushwork · palette · easel · studio · gallery · exhibition
Iowa municipality on river
- MidwestNorth-central American region
- heartlandCentral region of significance
- Des MoinesCapital of Iowa
- cornfieldsCultivated grain expanses
1930s global economic crisis
- New DealDepression-era reform agenda
- Dust BowlThirties prairie ecological collapse
- FDRDepression-era presidential initials
- social commentaryAnalysis of societal conditions
nationalism · isolationism · economic hardship · public murals
Central region of significance
- local colorDistinctive features of a place
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- AmericanaHeritage artifacts or music
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
social realism · folk art · anti-modernism · nationalism · cultural landscape · provincial · representational · illustration
farmhouse
Dwelling on agricultural land
- cornfieldCultivated plot of maize
- barnAgricultural storage structure
- pastoralOf countryside or clergy care
countryside · homestead · plow · harvest · prairie · silo · tractor · windmill · orchard · fence
American Gothic
Wood's stoic rural portrait
- pitchforkPronged tool for moving straw
- Arbor DayTree-planting holiday
- oil paintingArt made with linseed-bound pigments
portrait · landscape · canvas · brushwork · palette · easel · studio · gallery · exhibition · masterpiece
Cedar Rapids
Iowa municipality on river
- MidwestNorth-central American region
- heartlandCentral region of significance
- Des MoinesCapital of Iowa
Great Depression
1930s global economic crisis
- New DealDepression-era reform agenda
- Dust BowlThirties prairie ecological collapse
- FDRDepression-era presidential initials
social commentary · nationalism · isolationism · economic hardship · public murals
heartland
Central region of significance
- local colorDistinctive features of a place
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- AmericanaHeritage artifacts or music
authenticity · social realism · folk art · anti-modernism · nationalism · cultural landscape · provincial · representational · illustration · mural