Masterpiece in detail: American Gothic by Grant Wood

This week, Rise Art's editorial team has chosen to explore one of the best-known paintings of the 20th century. Even if you don’t know the name of the painting or its painter, you will almost certainly have seen it somewhere before. American Gothic is a 1930s artwork that has inspired endless reinterpretations in pop culture and which continues to stand out for its modernity. Rise Art offers a detailed analysis to uncover its secrets.

A Truly Cult Artwork

In the early 20th century, US-artist Grant Wood painted the American rural Midwest and its inhabitants, who had been left destitute by the 1930s Depression and the automotive revolution. Wood himself had developed his skills in Europe and was deeply inspired by Flemish painters.

Wood’s best-known work is indisputably American Gothic, produced in 1930 and a key piece in the American Regionalism movement. At first glance, the portrait—set in Eldon, Iowa—strongly resembles Flemish painter Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait.

The artwork now included in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection has since been copied and reinterpreted on many occasions. Allusions to it are made in Disney’s Mulan, in the TV series Dexter and Desperate Housewives, and even in The Simpsons. Impressions often now depict the “couple” in modern garb, wearing streetwear or disguised as characters from Star Wars.

Trois détails à la loupe

1. L'homme et la femme

Qui est cette femme au regard dur et cet homme austère à lunettes qui tient à la main une fourche ? Forment-ils un couple ? Ou bien est-il son père ? Son frère ? Un ami ? Il semble en tout cas plus âgé qu'elle. En fait, Grant Wood a fait poser sa sœur Nan (qui lui reprochera de l'avoir enlaidie ) et son dentiste, le docteur McKeeby, pour ce portrait représentant un fermier et sa fille célibataire.

L’homme porte une salopette bleue qui ressemble à un vêtement de travail mais sa veste noire laisse à penser qu'il est préparé pour une occasion spéciale, tout comme le bijou camé de la femme. Certains prétendent que ces deux personnages sont des colons. La femme est en effet vêtue d’un tablier de style colonial. Dans tous les cas, aucun des deux protagonistes n'a l'air très aimable ni très épanoui !

Le peintre considérait son tableau comme une célébration réaliste des habitants de la région du Midwest et de leurs valeurs morales. Mais l'œuvre a déplu à la population locale quand elle fut exposée à Art Institute of Chicago en 1930. L'attitude morose des protagonistes traduisait pour eux une attaque contre leur vie rurale, moins heureuse et progressiste que les urbains de l'époque.

2. The Pitchfork

The inclusion of a pitchfork in the work is intriguing and almost seems to be a character all of its own. The teeth are facing upwards, in an unorthodox position, where a farmer would normally have planted them safely in the ground. This detail has raised many questions over the meaning behind the artwork. The pitchfork’s shape means it could be a symbol of virility and sexuality, which was synonymous with perversion in the puritanical Midwest.

It could also be interpreted as a “do not enter” sign. It begs the question, what goes on in the house behind closed curtains? Does the father want to protect his daughter’s virtue? In any case, the pair of farmers seem very attached to the pitchfork—as well as their puritanism and their life far from the city. Many different interpretations are possible, further increasing the piece’s mysterious appeal.

3. The Gothic House

To understand the painting’s title, you need to look at the house behind the two characters, which makes reference to the house’s neo-Gothic architectural style. The arched window is typical of Gothic houses.

The fact the curtains are drawn in the middle of the day is also an important detail. Many critics have wondered if this might indicate the pair are grieving. Might they be lamenting the ebbing of an era they were sad to see end? In the 1930s, progress was already in full swing.