Post on 17-Jan-2016
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Grant Wood
American painter, born in Iowa
1891 -1942
Self portrait, 1932J. Keller
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The painting shows a farmer standing beside his daughter . The woman is dressed in a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century America and the couple are in the traditional roles of men and women, the man's pitchfork symbolizing hard labor
J. Keller
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Wood recruited his sister Nan (1900-1990) to model the woman, and the man is modeled on Wood's dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby (1867-1950) from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
J. Keller
The models
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Wood decided to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that house”.
The woman is dressed in a colonial print apron mimicking 19th century America and the couple are in the traditional roles of men and women, the man's pitchfork symbolizing hard labor.
J. Keller
Description
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Why is it called « gothic » ?
Just because the cottage is designed in the gothic style with an upper window in the shape of a medieval pointed arch
Gothic cathedrals
typical cottages ofAmerica’s midwest
The cottage today
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the middle-aged woman looks to be not as confident as the man. She looks worried and is unfocused, for she is not looking at the viewer, but rather off in the distance, hoping for a positive change to come. The man simply looks as though he refuses to leave.
This portrait was painted in 1930, around the time of the Great Depression. During this time, many farmers were evicted from their farms, leaving them no choice but to move to the city to join the rest of the unemployed trying to find work.
J. Keller
The context
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- a satire of repression and narrow-mindedness of rural small-town life ?
Anyway, it is loved for the countless interpretations and its ability to stimulate people's imaginations.
- a glorification of the moral virtue of rural America ?
- a depiction of American pioneer spirit in the Depression era ?
What is YOUR interpretation ?
J. Keller
interpretationsVarious
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American Gothic is one of the most famous paintings in American art, and one of the few images to reach the status of universally recognised cultural icon, comparable to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch’s The Scream
A universally recognized icon …
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It was first exhibited in 1930 at theArt Institute of Chicago, where it is still located.It was given a $300 prize and made news stories country-wide, bringing Wood immediate recognition. The Art Institute of Chicago
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American gothic has been borrowed and satirised endlessly for advertisements and cartoons
Enjoy the following !
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They said « gothic » ?
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Just people …
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politics
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art
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and cartoons …
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A giant statue in Chicago
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The end
Whether it is a subtle message about America, the Great Depression, or any other interpretation, American Gothic is one of those paintings that will always be apart of American culture for its diverse meanings and ability to make viewers formulate their own meanings.
J. Keller