American Gothic is a painting made by the realist painter Grant Wood in 1930. It intended to show what life was like in rural areas of the United States. Thanks to the Gothic White House shown in the painting, it became one of the best-known works of 20th-century American painting.
1. Who was Grant Wood?
Grant Wood was born in 1891 and was originally from Anamosa, Iowa. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He became a great fan of the work of the pioneer of the Nordic Revival, Jan van Eyck, whom he discovered during his visits to Europe between 1922 and 1928. However, despite being inspired by this movement and this painter, Wood was inspired by everyday life instead of biblical passages or spiritual symbols.
2. Who’s the couple in the painting?
Grant Wood intended to portray the Gothic house he had become fascinated with, as well as to show what the people he believed should live in there would looked like.
A farmer and his daughter are what the painter portrayed in American Gothic, after deciding what he wanted to paint and having obtained permission from the owners of the house, Wood called his sister and his dentist to pose in front of it and thus portray the American rural Gothic, which gives the work its name.
3. American Gothic in the Great Depression
In 1929 the United States was facing an economic problem as a country due to the ‘crash’ of the New York Stock Exchange, a time when banks and companies closed, approximately 15 million people lost their jobs and the shares of different companies were only worth 20% of their stock price.
American Gothic represents the reality of American society at that time, two people facing problems with austerity and hard work, a positive affirmation of rural life, and a distraction from the problems the country was facing.
4. Where can you see the work?
The iconic painting is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. However, you can visit the house which is now a museum due to the history of this painting and is now part of the National Register of Historic Places.
5. For how much did Wood sell the painting and how much is it currently valued?
Due to the Great Depression, Wood sold his work to the Chicago Institute of Arts for $300, in addition to having received the bronze medal in a competition held by the same institution. Today the painting is valued at approximately 7 million dollars.
Like all currents of art, they are inspired by world historical events, which gives us a new perspective and an opportunity to see art and history as the same.
Story originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva.
