Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at The Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farm couple posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame. The Iowa native, then in his late 30s, was enchanted by a cottage he had seen in the small southern Iowa town of
Eldon. Its
Gothic Revival style, indicated by the upper window designed to resemble a medieval pointed arch, inspired the painting’s title. He asked his dentist and his sister Nan to pose as a farmer and his unmarried daughter. The highly detailed style and rigid frontal arrangement of the figures were inspired by
Northern Renaissance art, which the artist studied during three trips to Europe. After returning to Iowa, he became increasingly appreciative of the traditions of the
Midwest, which he also celebrated in works such as this.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. It is a primary example of Regionalism, a movement that aggressively opposed European
abstract art, preferring depictions of rural American subjects rendered in a
representational style. The painting has become part of American popular culture, and the couple has been the subject of endless
parodies. Some believe that Wood used this painting to satirize the narrow-mindedness and repression that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture, an accusation he denied. The painting may also be read as a glorification of the moral virtue of rural America or even as an ambiguous mixture of praise and satire.
'Amercan Post Apocalyptic' - 2011- 59" x 66" 58"
'American Post Apocalyptic' is my sculptural response to Grant Wood's American Gothic painting.
Nestled happily in shopping carts, my charactars are wedged amongst the numerous objects that dictate the lifestyle that includes mass consumption and all the perils included. Keeping it stark, whimsical and bright I try to lure the viewer into believing the spend and dicard system is not so glamourous but a pile of contradictions. These two carts are being restored and repainted to become more poratable tableaux works to add to the collection. I really enjoy creating works that relflect ealier art works and Western Culture at its finest or better yet, at its Worst!
This work should be completed in a couple of weeks and to see them worked on Live go to
http://richardjhinger.com/studio-cam
RJH
