American Gothic: Humor in Art

    Perhaps one of the most iconic paintings in American history, Grant Wood’s American Gothic has sparked critical debate from its unveiling in 1930. This brilliant piece, currently housed at Chicago’s Art Institute on Michigan Avenue, captures the stereotypes surrounding life in rural communities, and further uses simplistic composition as a way to comment on “small town living” in a satirical, yet incredibly realistic fashion. The painting, an oil piece on beaverboard, is by far one of the most visited paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago, not to mention one of the most parodied paintings of all time!
    Simple, meaningful, and rather humorous, American Gothic depicts a rural scene featuring a farmer and his daughter standing in front of their farm’s cottage. Despite popular belief that the woman in the painting is the farmer’s wife, the artist insisted otherwise prior to his death in 1942. The farm’s cottage, particularly the unique window featured on the second floor, is the true focal point of the piece, while the “simple folk” are merely featured in the painting. Much attention can be drawn to the faces of the family; unattached, disinterested, and slightly confused expressions mirroring the suggested troubles seen with rural people in terms of fitting in with modern society.
    Themes revolving around labor, society, and gender roles are all present in the piece, varying widely depending on the lens one chooses to view the painting with. In essence, the nature of the painting is quite subjective, and could potentially change with each viewing of the piece. This is one of the most attractive qualities of American Gothic, and further brings unprecedented value to what is perhaps one of the most humorous art works of the 20th century.