Many geniuses and creators in the field of art are not recognized by critics and society in life. Over the years, they begin to understand and feel, firmly believing that the artist or poet had his own special outlook on things. It was then that they began to admire them, ranking them among the incredibly talented people of their era. This is exactly what happened with Wood Grant, who almost 100 years ago portrayed his vision of the lifestyle of New World residents in the painting American Gothic. He was a fairly complex artist, with his own character and handwriting.
A few words about the artist’s childhood
Many critics and experts in the field of art believe that before analyzing the picture, especially the one that caused a huge public outcry, it is necessary to study a little the creator of the masterpiece himself. This needs to be done only in order to understand the motives or message of the artist. Speaking of Wood Grant, whose American Gothic painting still causes controversy and certain disagreements among world experts, it is worth saying that his early years were unremarkable.
He was born on a small agricultural farm on the very outskirts of Iowa, the very one in America. In addition to him, the family had two more boys and a girl. The father of the family was short-tempered and strict. He passed away quite early. Grant had a close and trusting relationship with his mother, perhaps because of this he grew up very sensitive, vulnerable and the most talented of all the children in the family.
Unrecognized Genius
Grown up and choosing an artistic path for himself, Grant wrote a sufficient number of paintings, but his work was not appreciated properly. He was not recognized in art, often without even taking seriously his work.
About the time at which the picture was painted
"American Gothic" by American artist Grant Wood was written in 1930. This time was quite difficult for a number of reasons:
- First, in 1929, the economic crisis began in America, which, by the way, did not in the least prevent the state’s rapid steps in the field of construction and industry. New, hitherto unknown tall buildings were erected in the country. It was a period of novelty and technology.
- Secondly, all over the world, fascism was gaining momentum just as rapidly as industry. The new trend and ideology of Adolf Hitler was reinforced in the minds of people who were striving for a perfect future.
- It is perhaps worth adding to this list also a fact that concerns the artist himself. Wood Grant by that time had already lived a sufficient amount of time in France and German Munich. Some critics felt that these wanderings around the world added to the picture "American Gothic" a lot from the European way of life.
After all of the above, you can try to make up some idea of the artist, of his character and life. Well, when this is done, it is worthwhile to go directly to the analysis of the painting "American Gothic."
It's all about the details
You can analyze the canvas only if it is described in detail. So, in the foreground are two people: a woman and a man, who apparently is much older than her. Wood Grant has repeatedly said that he tried to show his father and daughter, but it is known for certain that he portrayed his own sister and dentist Byron McKibey. According to the artist, the latter was distinguished by a rather cheerful disposition. True, in the film "American Gothic" he appears as a reserved person, if not severe. His gaze is directed directly into the eyes of the person looking at the canvas, and it is impossible to understand what will happen next: either he will smile or be angry. His face is drawn in such detail that you can make out every wrinkle, which is abundant on it.
The woman's gaze is directed to the side, somewhere outside the picture. A man and his daughter are standing in the center, with the woman holding an elderly man's arm. He has in his hands a pitchfork directed upwards with his points, which he holds with a sufficiently strong grip. It seems as if the people depicted by Wood Grant are trying to protect their home, against which they are painted.
The house is an old American style building. Another nuance that is revealed upon closer examination: in the picture everything was done by the hands of people: a man’s shirt, a woman’s apron, and, indeed, a mansard roof.
If you pay attention to the background of the painting "American Gothic", it seems that Grant Wood did not give him due attention. Trees are presented in the form of geometric shapes and they are absolutely not drawn, generalized. By the way, if you look closely, there is a lot of geometry in the picture: a triangular roof, straight lines of windows, pitchforks that overlap with the edging on the man’s shirt.
The tones in which the canvas is written can be described as quite calm. Perhaps this is all the description of the painting "American Gothic", from which it becomes clear why many Americans saw themselves in it: almost all families living on both the west and east coast of the mainland had such houses.
Society Assessment
The painting "American Gothic" made a splash. Someone was delighted, but there were also dissatisfied. Residents of Iowa considered such an image of their lifestyle a mockery of the artist, and one lady even threatened physical harm against Grant Wood. She promised to bite off his ear. Many people accused the artist of antipathy to everything new, calling him a conservative and a hypocrite, because he depicted an old house on the threshold of a new civilization. The artist himself once said about his painting: "I tried to portray these people as they were for me in that life that I knew ...".
After a century
It is worth noting that after a while the picture still remains at the peak of popularity. They make skits on her, admire her, do not understand her. But all this did not prevent American Gothic from becoming a peculiar symbol of the way of life of those years. After almost a century, critics were able to consider the unshakable spirit of American pioneers. Well, the last thing that needs to be mentioned: Grant Wood was able to "hook" a huge number of people with his masterpiece, forcing the public to discuss, argue about the film "American Gothic".