American Gothic - VBR

It's time for letter A - again!  

My letter A choice is for the painting by Grant Wood entitled American Gothic.  You may not know the name but once you see the picture you recognize it.  American Gothic is considered one of the most famous painting in American art.   It is also one of a handful of paintings that are considered universal icons.  It shares this honor with other paintings such as DaVinci's Mona Lisa, Van Gogh's Sunflowers, and Munch's The Scream.
The painting portrays a farmer and his spinster daughter standing in front of their home which is designed in the Gothic Revival style.  

The models for the painting are Grant's sister Nan, and Grant's dentist, Dr. Bryan McKeeby. Nan insisted that the woman in the painting be identified as the farmer's daughter because she did not want anyone to think she was as old as the male figure!

While some felt the painting has a bit of parody or satire to it, Grant, in fact, felt his subjects depicted the hard working  ethic of the midwestern people,  represented by the apron she wears and the pitchfork he holds.

Here are several of his other portraits - 

The Appraisal

Seth Wider

Daughters of the American Revolution

But, in doing a little searching for the pic of American Gothic, I came across a series of paintings, landscapes, done by Wood that I just fell in love with.  They are so modern looking, like cutting edge retro (is this even a valid label?).  I love the overhead view of these pieces, like th viewer is a bird in the sky.
I have to say, I enjoyed discovering Wood's landscape works. 



 

Midnight Ride of Paul Revere



Arbor Day



Near Sundown 



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