American Gothic By Grant Wood
Today we present an absolute classic of American art. American Gothic is undoubtedly one of the most famous paintings (and most parodied) in the world. It depicts a farmer standing beside his daughter (often mistakenly assumed to be his wife). Grant Wood was inspired to paint this house (which still exists!) from Eldon, Iowa, along with "the kind of people [he] fancied should live in that house." The painting's name is a word play on the house's architectural style, Carpenter Gothic. So, the artist invented everything. The figures were modeled by Wood's sister Nan Wood Graham and their dentist Dr. Byron McKeeby. The woman is dressed in a colonial print apron evoking 20th-century rural America while the man is adorned in overalls covered by a suit jacket and carries a pitchfork. The plants on the porch of the house are mother-in-law's tongue and beefsteak begonia, which also appear in Wood's other paintings.
