Many geniuses and creators in the field of art are not recognized by critics and society during their lifetime. Years later, they begin to understand and feel, firmly believing that the artist or poet had his own special view of things. That's when they begin to admire, ranking among the incredibly talented people of their era. This is exactly what happened to Wood Grant, who almost a hundred years ago portrayed his vision of the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the New World in the painting "American Gothic". He was a fairly complex artist, with his own character and style.

A few words about the artist's childhood

Many critics and experts in the field of art believe that before analyzing the picture, especially the one that caused a huge public outcry, it is necessary to study the creator of the masterpiece a little. This needs to be done only in order to understand the motives or message of the artist. Speaking about Wood Grant, whose painting "American Gothic" still causes controversy and certain disagreements among the experts of the world, it is worth saying that his early years were unremarkable.

He was born on a small agricultural farm on the very outskirts of the very one in America. In addition to him, there were two more boys and a girl in the family. The father of the family was distinguished by a quick temper and strictness. He passed away quite early. Grant had a close and trusting relationship with his mother, perhaps because of this he grew up to be very sensitive, vulnerable and the most talented of all the children in the family.

Unrecognized genius

Growing up and choosing an artistic path for himself, Grant painted a sufficient number of paintings, but his work was not properly appreciated. He was not recognized in art, often without even taking his work seriously.

About the time in which the picture was painted

"American Gothic" by American artist Grant Wood was painted in 1930. This time was quite difficult for a number of reasons:

1. First, in 1929, an economic crisis began in America, which, by the way, did not in the least interfere with the rapid steps of the state in the field of construction and industry. New, hitherto unknown high-rise buildings were erected in the country. It was a period of novelty and technology.
2. Secondly, all over the world, fascism was gaining momentum just as rapidly as industry. The new trend and ideology of Adolf Hitler was strengthened in the minds of people who aspired to a perfect future.
3. In this list, perhaps, it is worth adding another fact that concerns the artist himself personally. Wood Grant by that time had already lived for a sufficient amount of time in France and German Munich. Some critics felt that these wanderings around the world added a lot to the picture "American Gothic" from the European way of life.

After all of the above, you can try to get some idea about the artist, about his character and life. Well, when this is done, it is worth transgressing directly to the analysis of the painting "American Gothic".

It's all about the details

The canvas can be analyzed only if it is described in detail. So, in the foreground two people are depicted: a woman and a man who, apparently, is much older than her. Wood Grant has repeatedly said that he tried to show the father with his daughter, but it is known for certain that he portrayed his own sister and dentist Byron McKeeby. According to the artist, the latter was distinguished by a rather cheerful disposition. True, in the painting "American Gothic" he appears as a restrained person, if not harsh. His gaze is directed straight into the eyes of the person looking at the canvas, and it is impossible to understand what will happen next: whether he will smile, or get angry. His face is drawn in such detail that you can make out every wrinkle, which abound on it.

The woman's gaze is directed to the side, somewhere outside the picture. A man and his daughter stand in the center, with the woman holding the older man's arm. He has a pitchfork in his hands, pointing upwards with its tips, which he holds with a fairly strong grip. It seems as if the people depicted by Wood Grant are trying to protect their home, against which they are drawn.

The house is an old American style building. Another nuance that is revealed upon closer examination: everything in the picture is made by human hands: the man’s shirt, the woman’s apron, and, by the way, the mansard roof.

If you pay attention to the background of the picture "American Gothic", it seems that Grant Wood did not pay due attention to it. Trees are presented in the form of geometric figures and they are absolutely not drawn, generalized. By the way, if you look closely, there is a lot of geometry in the picture: a triangular roof, straight lines of windows, pitchforks that echo the piping on the man’s shirt.

The tones in which the canvas is written can be described as quite calm. Perhaps this is the whole description of the painting "American Gothic", from which it becomes clear why many Americans saw themselves in it: almost all families living on both the western and eastern coasts of the mainland had such houses.

Society valuation

The painting "American Gothic" made a splash. Some were delighted, but there were also dissatisfied. Residents considered such a depiction of their way of life as a mockery of the artist, and one lady even threatened physical violence against Grant Wood. She promised to bite off his ear. Many people accused the artist of antipathy to everything new, calling him a conservative and a hypocrite, because he depicted an old house on the threshold of a new civilization. The artist himself once said about his painting: "I tried to portray these people as they were for me in the life that I knew ...".

A century later

It is worth noting that after a while the picture is still at the peak of popularity. They make parodies of her, they admire her, they do not understand her. But all this did not in the least prevent "American Gothic" from becoming a kind of symbol of the way of life of those years. Nearly a century later, critics could see in it the unshakable spirit of American pioneers. Well, the last thing that needs to be mentioned: Grant Wood was able to "hook" a huge number of people with his masterpiece, forcing the public to discuss, argue about the painting "American Gothic".

This was facilitated by the stained-glass windows that filled the huge surfaces of the windows, their compositions reproduced apocryphal legends, historical events, religious and literary subjects, as well as images of scenes from the life and work of craft corporations, peasants, representing a kind of encyclopedia of the medieval way of life. Each window is filled from top to bottom with figured compositions enclosed in medallions. The stained glass technique, which made it possible to combine the color and light principles of painting, gave these compositions increased emotionality. Fiery, pomegranate-colored, deep scarlet, red, yellow, green, ultramarine, light blue and dark blue glasses, cut according to the contour of the pattern, letting in outside light, burned like precious gems, transforming the entire interior of the temple, setting a person in a sublime mood.

Gothic color glass created new aesthetic values ​​- it gave the paint the highest sonority of a pure radiant color. Generating the atmosphere of a colored air environment, playing on the floor, columns, stained glass was perceived as a source of light that deepened the perspective. Uneven, but rather thick glasses were often with bubbles and not completely transparent - this enhanced the artistic effect produced by the stained glass. Penetrating through the uneven thickness of the glass, the light was crushed, played. The best authentic Gothic stained-glass windows are in the cathedrals of Chartres ("Our Lady and Child"), Paris, Bourges. The "dark purple rose" of Reims Cathedral, the "throwing lightning" "fiery wheels" of Chartres Cathedral are magnificent.

In the middle of the 13th century, complex colors were introduced into the colorful range, which were formed by duplicating glasses (Saint-Chapelle, 1250). The contours of the drawing on the glass were applied with brown enamel paint, the forms had a planar character. In the Gothic era, the art of miniature, the art of the medieval book, reached its peak. Their development was caused by the strengthening of secular tendencies in culture. Even in the illustrations with multi-figure compositions of religious content, subtly observed realistic details were included: ornaments from plant motifs, images of birds, butterflies, animals, everyday scenes, the poetic charm of which was conveyed by the French miniaturist Jean Pussel. The leading place in the development of French miniatures of the 13th and 14th centuries belonged to the Parisian school. In the Psalter of St. Louis (1270, Paris, Louvre), the multi-figured compositions are framed by a single motif of Gothic architecture, which gives harmony to the narrative. The figures of knights and ladies are filled with grace - their forms are drawn with flowing lines, creating the illusion of movement. The decorative architecture of the drawing, the density and richness of the colors turn the miniatures into a decoration of the page.

The restless angular rhythm, pointed forms, the slickness of sinuous lines, the filigree of the openwork pattern distinguish the style of the Gothic book. In the 14th-15th centuries, secular manuscripts were also illustrated - scientific treatises, books of hours, chronicles, collections of love songs. In the works of courtly literature, the ideal of chivalrous love was embodied in miniature, scenes of the surrounding life were reproduced (Manes Manes, circa 1320). Enhanced storytelling. In the "Great French Chronicles" (end of the 14th century), the artist sought to penetrate the meaning of the depicted event - these are real illustrations of a literary work. At the same time, the book was given a decorative elegance with the help of bizarre frames and exquisite vignettes. The miniature brought a lively stream into medieval art, influencing painting as well.

Gothic art is an important link in the overall development of culture; Gothic works, spiritual and majestic, have a unique aesthetic charm. Gothic art gave rise to a new understanding of the synthesis of arts. The realistic conquests of Gothic, whose masters often reproduce the image of their contemporary in the natural and object environment, prepared the transition to the art of the Renaissance.

American Gothic - Grant Wood. 1930. Oil on canvas. 74 x 62 cm

Without exaggeration, we can say that the painting "American Gothic" is one of the most recognizable in the world, comparable to, or. Over the years of its existence, the masterpiece has become the victim of many parodies and memes. There is even a very sinister interpretation of the plot. But what meaning did the author himself put into his "American Gothic"?

The painting was created in 1930 during the Great Depression. In the city of Eldon, Grant Wood noticed a neat house, created in the style of a carpenter's Gothic. The artist wanted to depict the house and its potential residents - father and daughter, an old maid (according to other sources, this is a wife and husband). The models were the painter's sister and his personal dentist. The unusual exposition of the painting is nothing more than an imitation of photographs of those years.

The characters are depicted very clearly and clearly. The man looks at the viewer, a pitchfork is tightly clenched in his hands. A woman with a strict bun at the back of her head looks away, she is wearing an apron with an old-fashioned pattern. The author allowed only one bunch to break out of the girl's laconic hairstyle. In the stern faces of the heroes and their compressed lips, many art historians find hostility and outright ugliness. Other very authoritative researchers guessed in the work a satire on the excessive isolation and narrow-mindedness of the inhabitants of small towns.

Meanwhile, Wood himself complained that the public misunderstood his work - he saw in the rural people precisely that effective force that could withstand the economic problems that caused the Great Depression. These residents of towns and villages are full of determination and courage to fight problems. The artist said that the heroes of his work are a collective image, which he associates with all of America. However, the inhabitants of the town of Elton did not heed the author's explanations, they were outraged and angry at the way Wood presented them in his work.

Is this a daughter or a wife? The answer to this question is also very interesting. The viewer is inclined to "read" this heroine as a wife, while Wood's sister, who was a model, insisted that she was a daughter. She just wanted to see herself in the famous work younger, because at the time of posing she was only 30 years old.

The pitchfork is the central element of the painting. The strict, straight lines of the teeth of this agricultural tool are also read in other details of the canvas. The seams of the man's shirt almost perfectly follow the contours of the pitchfork. It seems that the whole work consists of referring to straight vertical lines - the exterior of the house, the spire, the elongated windows and the faces of the characters themselves. Dentist Byron McKeebe, whom we see as a father-husband, recalled that the artist once noted that he liked his face because it consisted entirely of straight lines.

The public reacted with interest to the work of Grant Wood, as soon as she appeared in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. This is amazing, but not everyone agreed with the author's interpretation of the work, although they recognized that the painter managed to very accurately "grab" the American national spirit. After the Great Depression gave way to an ordinary stable life, the viewer was finally able to see the picture through the eyes of the creator, to see not harsh, but unshakable Americans who are ready not to fight, but to resist all the troubles.

Illustrator: Grant Dewolson Wood

Picture painted: 1930
Beaverboard, oil.
Size: 74×62 cm

History of creation

Critics such as Gertrude Stein and Christopher Morley thought the painting was a satire of rural life in small American towns. However, during the Great Depression, the attitude towards the picture changed. It came to be seen as a picture of the unwavering spirit of American pioneers.

In terms of the number of copies, parodies and allusions in popular culture, American Gothic ranks alongside such masterpieces as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch's The Scream.

Grant Wood "American Gothic"

Illustrator: Grant Dewolson Wood
Name of the painting: "American Gothic"
Picture painted: 1930
Beaverboard, oil.
Size: 74×62 cm

"American Gothic" is one of the most recognizable images in American art of the 20th century, the most famous artistic meme of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The picture with a gloomy father and daughter is overflowing with details that indicate the severity, puritanism and retrogradeness of the people depicted. Angry faces, a pitchfork right in the middle of the picture, old-fashioned clothes even by the standards of 1930, an exposed elbow, seams on the farmer's clothes that repeat the shape of a pitchfork, and therefore a threat that is addressed to anyone who encroaches. All these details can be looked at endlessly and cringe from discomfort.

History of creation

In 1930, in Eldon, Iowa, Grant Wood noticed a small white carpenter's gothic house. He wanted to depict this house and the people who, in his opinion, could live in it.

The artist's sister Nan served as the model for the farmer's daughter, and Byron McKeeby, the artist's dentist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became the farmer's model. Wood painted the house and people separately, the scene, as we see it in the picture, never happened in reality.

Wood entered "American Gothic" in a competition at the Art Institute of Chicago. The judges rated it as a "humorous valentine" but the curator of the museum convinced them to give the author a $300 prize and persuaded the Art Institute to purchase the painting, where it remains to this day. Soon the picture was printed in newspapers in Chicago, New York, Boston, Kansas City and Indianapolis. However, after publication in the newspaper of the city of Cedar Rapids, a negative reaction followed.

The people of Iowa were angry at the way the artist portrayed them. One farmer even threatened to bite off Voodoo's ear. Grant Wood justified that he wanted to make not a caricature of the inhabitants of Iowa, but a collective portrait of Americans. Wood's sister, offended that in the picture she could be mistaken for the wife of a man twice her age, began to claim that "American Gothic" depicts a father and daughter, but Wood himself did not comment on this moment.

The key direction of the art of the Middle Ages was Gothic.

It covered the culture that developed in most regions of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe.

Gothic arose in the northern region of France in the 12th century, and in the next century it appeared in England and Germany, and then in Austria, the Czech Republic and Spain. Later, the Gothic style reached Italy. After an intensive transformation, "Italian Gothic" was formed, and at the end of the 14th century - international. Eastern European artists became acquainted with the Gothic direction later, in their homeland it lasted a little longer - almost until the 16th century.

During the Renaissance, this definition pejoratively denoted all the art of the Middle Ages, recognized "barbaric". But at the beginning of the 19th century for craftsmanship 10-12 centuries. used the concept of the Romanesque style and, accordingly, limited the chronological framework of the Gothic style. Phases were distinguished in it: early period, mature and late.

In European countries, the Catholic Church ruled, so the Gothic ideology retained feudal-church foundations. By purpose, Gothic was mainly cult and thematically religious. She was compared with eternity and "higher" powers.

It was characterized by a symbolic-allegorical way of thinking and a conventional pictorial language.

This style replaced the Romanesque, and later completely replaced it. The concept of this direction is usually applied to architectural objects. It also embraced painting, ornamentation, book miniatures, sculpture, and so on.

It is worth noting that its origin in architecture, especially in famous cathedrals, coincided with the triumphant era of Romanesque painting, namely fresco.

Over time, other types of decorative art took on a key role in the decoration of temples, as a result of which painting was pushed to another level. The replacement of solid walls in Gothic cathedrals with large windows caused the complete disappearance of the genre of monumental painting, which occupied a special place in the Romanesque style. The fresco was replaced by stained glass, a unique type of painting in which paintings are made up of pieces of painted glass, fastened with thin lead strips and framed with iron fittings.

Gothic art artists

Gothic features in art appeared several decades later than those in architecture. Note that in France and England there was a transition from the Romanesque direction to the Gothic in the 1200s, in Germany - in the 1220s, and in Italy - approximately in the 1300s.

A feature of Gothic art are elongated figures.

Painting was subject to strict canons. Masters of the brush in their paintings depicted the three-dimensionality of space quite rarely. Such a prospect was accidental and highly doubtful.

At the end of the 14th century, there was a desire for elegant and sophisticated writing in art, as well as an interest in real life subjects. The smallest details of flora and fauna have become constant elements in painting.

International Gothic appeared - this is the direction of the late period of the Middle Ages, which united the painting of many countries.

Art flourished in France in the 13th and 14th centuries book miniature. It showed a secular beginning. So, for example, secular literature expanded the range of illustrated manuscripts. They began to create richly painted psalters and books of hours for home use.

The manuscript from Gothic times changed the appearance of the pages. So, the illustration was filled with sonorous purity colors, included realistic elements, combined floral ornamentation, biblical and everyday scenes. A characteristic feature of the manuscripts of the 13th century was the border framing the margin of the page.

The artists placed on the pages swirls of ornament adorning the fields, lines framing small figures, and comic or genre scenes. The content of the manuscripts did not always have a connection with them. These were the fantasies of the miniaturists. They were called "droleri" - that is, fun. In the late Gothic miniatures, the tendencies of realism were expressed with special immediacy, the first successes were made in the transfer of everyday paintings and landscapes. Soon, artists rushed to a reliable and detailed depiction of nature.

The most famous representatives of the book miniature of the Gothic era were the Limburg brothers.

Christ in Glory, Limburg Brothers Miniature of the Earl of Westmorland with His Twelve Children, Limburg Brothers The Madonna and the Child, The Limburg Brothers