The models for Grant Wood's "American Gothic" were the artist's sister Nan and his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby.
As the painting became more and more famous, his sister was embarrassed to be seen as the wife of someone twice her age, so she began telling people the painting portrayed a man and his daughter, a reading that Grant Wood confirmed.
The painting, which resides in the Art Institute of Chicago, has invited many parodies and commentaries, and has become something of a symbol of American life. In this video art historians Steven Zucker and Beth Harris explore the biography of the painter and the ambiguities of the image.
5 comments:
ery interesting post, James, especially because we recently visited the exhibition of "Summer of Love" posters at Smith College, which included this pot themed version of the painting. The commentary referred to the pair as a "hard working couple," so I guess the author hadn't gotten the updated version with the daughter, much less the dentist.
The show is worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood - a lot of interesting background info about the still mind-blowing designs.
Matthew
Another interesting thing about the painting. The two subjects never met each other. The sister lived on the opposite coast.
Another interesting thing about this picture. The two subjects never met each other. The sister lived on the other coast.
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