American gothic painting

Grant Wood painted this portrait the way a theater director puts on a show. First he discovered the setting. Wood saw the house, now famous for inspiring American Gothic, in a small Iowa town and knew it had to be in a painting. Then he cast his sister and dentist to play the two roles. Many presume them farmer and daughter. But that’s never been nailed down. In fact, the painter left it ambiguous on purpose. Learn more with a click to LadyKflo’s Art Blog. #americangothic #grantwood #region

Parody can be a great theme for students to explore. We have explored it before in movie posters, comic book covers, and more. But to be topical, students could re-imagine a famous work of art as if...

A contemporary interpretation of Grant Wood’s iconic painting from 1930.

American Gothic is considered one of the most recognizable paintings in history, but few people know the profession of the stern looking guy posing with the pitchfork.

Ballpoint pen drawing by jmsw on thick card

Grant Wood’s 1930 painting, American Gothic, is one of the most recognizable pieces of art that exists today. But why? We can look at a piece like Picasso’s Guernica and acknowledge its historical importance and protest against the Spanish Civil War. We can look at Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night and comment on how its ethereal style represents the artist’s hallucinations and descent into insanity. But what about American Gothic makes it so special?

Gothic oil painting