Grant Wood

The Profile

Grant Wood (1891–1942) was an American painter associated with the Regionalism movement, best known for the 1930 painting American Gothic.

Born in Anamosa, Iowa (1891); died 1942. Leader in American Regionalism. American Gothic (1930) is held by the Art Institute of Chicago.

The available review examines Grant Wood's 1930 American Gothic, its materials (oil on beaverboard), imagery (pitchfork, rural house) and ambiguous figures. The reviewer describes the painting's shifting cultural readings—from parody to exaltation—and its role as an icon subject to innumerable parodies. The piece is discussed as a symbol of 20th-century American cultural dynamics rather than as a straightforward masterpiece. Reviewer rating: 3/5.