All-American Painter

Two solemn figures stand side-by-side in front of a white farmhouse in the painting on the cover. They each wear an expression that is hard to interpret. The artist, Grant Wood, right, invites viewers to wonder who these people are. When the Art Institute of Chicago first displayed this painting, called American Gothic, in 1930, Wood was virtually unknown. Today historians consider his painting the most well-known American artwork of the 20th century.

In the painting on the cover, a man and a woman with long faces stand in front of a white farmhouse. It’s hard to grasp what they’re feeling. The artist invites you to wonder who these people are.

American artist Grant Wood, pictured left, painted this work. When the Art Institute of Chicago first displayed it in 1930, most people had no idea who Wood was. But today, this painting, titled American Gothic, is one of the most famous American artworks of the 20th century.

Born in 1891, Wood spent the early part of his childhood on a farm in rural Iowa. Young Grant didn’t feel like he fit in with his family. His strict father didn’t allow Grant and his siblings to read fairy tales. He expected his three sons to be strong and athletic. Grant got along better with his mother and sister. Grant’s father frequently sent him to the cellar as a punishment. There, the budding artist made some of his first drawings to pass the time.

Grant’s father died suddenly in 1901 and the family moved to Cedar Rapids, a city in Iowa. The teachers at Grant’s new school recognized his artistic talent and encouraged him to help design scenery for school plays. He also learned to make jewelry and furniture. As he got older, Wood became interested in the Arts and Crafts movement. He believed in simple designs that were accessible to everyone. In 1925, a hotel in Cedar Rapids commissioned (hired) Wood to design a new dining room. He created several chandeliers like the one far left, featuring corncobs. He also added murals on the walls showing cornfields. He called the space the Iowa Corn Room.

Wood, born in 1891, spent his early childhood on a farm in Iowa. Growing up, he felt like he didn’t fit in with his family. His father was very strict. He expected his three sons to be athletic. Grant got along better with his mother and sister. To pass the time, Wood made some of his first drawings during these years.

Grant’s father died suddenly in 1901. The family moved to Cedar Rapids, a city in Iowa. Teachers at Grant’s new school noticed his artistic talent. They encouraged him to design scenery for school plays.

As he got older, Wood became interested in an artistic movement called arts and crafts. He made simple furniture and other designs that everyone could appreciate—even people without artistic training. In 1925, a hotel in Cedar Rapids hired Wood to design a dining room. He created chandeliers like the one shown at far left. It has corncobs with lights in them. Wood also painted a mural of a cornfield on the walls. He called the space the Iowa Corn Room.

Wood traveled to Europe four times between 1920 and 1928. He studied the masterpieces in Paris’s museums and learned to paint in an Impressionist style. His 1922-23 Van Antwerp Place, above, demonstrates his mastery of Impressionism’s loose brushstrokes and thick paint application, called impasto. Although Wood was technically good at this method of painting, he eventually decided that it didn’t reflect his vision of America.

When Wood returned from Europe for the last time, he focused on painting Iowanlandscapes. By the 1930s, he developed the hard-edge style he is known for today, called Regionalism. He builds scenes like his 1941 Spring in the Country, below, with simple shapes, meticulous details, and a smooth surface.

Between 1920 and 1928, Wood traveled to Europe four times. In Paris, he studied artworks in famous museums. He was interested in the brushstrokes and thick amounts of paint. In 1922-23, Wood used these methods to paint Van Antwerp Place, on the bottom right of page 4. In the end, he didn’t think this style captured his vision of America.

After he returned from Europe for the last time, he mainly painted landscapes in Iowa. By the 1930s, he worked in a style called Regionalism. He used simple shapes, careful details, and a smooth paint surface. This is the style Wood is known for today.

Wood believed that artworks should present narratives, or stories, to connect with audiences. In Spring in the Country, Wood invites viewers to imagine the earth’s rich scent. The sun reflects off the figures’ skin, reminding viewers of spring’s first warm days. The figures in the foreground work together planting seedlings that will soon provide nourishment and income for the family. The road in the background meanders through rolling hills, carrying the viewer’s eye from one farm to the next, connecting a community of people whose lives depend upon the earth.

Wood intended this painting to be part of a series featuring what he called “simple, everyday things that make life significant to the average person.” He only completed two works in this series before his death from cancer in 1942.

Many viewers see Wood as a simple country painter. In reality, he was a complex man who never wanted to be a farmer but experienced anxiety about choosing to be an artist. Since his death, Wood and his paintings have become synonymous with the Midwest. The sweeping beauty and sweet nostalgia he portrays is a version of the Midwest many historians say is a fantasy that existed only in Wood’s imagination.

Wood believed that artworks should share narratives, or stories. He thought this helped viewers connect to art. In his 1941 Spring in the Country, above, Wood paints people planting crops. The sun reflecting off their skin gives viewers the sense of a warm spring day. The road in the background draws the viewer’s eye from one farm to the next. It shows the community of farmers and their connection to the land.

Many think Wood was a simple country painter. But he was a complex person. He never wanted to be a farmer, but he was also unsure about being an artist. Many think that Wood’s work represents the Midwest. Others say his paintings are fantasies of his own imagination.