What is AMERICAN GOTHIC, besides being a painting? Is it also an art genre?
Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at
9:36 am
Can you suggest a website where I can see some examples of it.
Thank you very much for your help
Filed under: Dark Gothic Art
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American Gothic is not a genre, but the name of Grant Wood’s most famous paintings. Wood was inspired by a cottage he had seen in the small southern Iowa town. Its Gothic Revival style, indicated by the upper window designed to resemble a medieval pointed arch, inspired the painting’s title.
The painting shows a farmer standing beside a woman whose identity remains ambiguous; she may either be his spinster daughter, or the farmer’s wife. The figures themselves were modeled by the artist’s dentist and sister.
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.
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. t is one of the most familiar images in 20th century American art and one of the most parodied artworks within American popular culture.