Marcia Norwood, AMERICA'S STORYTELLER
American Gothic is my favorite architectural style. I think it would be fantastic to live in an old church building with pointed arches, steep gables and towers.
American Gothic is sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, because they were built by house-carpenters. Small churches in this style were common in North America in the nineteenth century.
Probably the best-known example of Carpenter Gothic is the house in Eldon, Iowa, that American painter, Grant Wood (1891-1942)used for the background of his famous painting American Gothic.
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| Grant Wood's Painting: American Gothic |
Wood noticed a small white house (the Dibble House) in 1930, and decided to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that house."
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| American Gothic/Carpenter Gothic Architecture: The Dibble House, Eldon, Iowa, USA |
He got his sister, Nan, (1899-1990) to model the woman. He modeled the man after his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby (1867-1950) from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Each element was painted separately, and neither model stood in front of the house. The three-pronged hay fork is echoed in the stitching of the man's overalls, the Gothic window of the house, and the structure of the man's face. It's said that the pitchfork symbolized hard labor, and the flowers over the woman's right shoulder suggest domesticity.
It's one of the most familiar images in 20th century American art, and many in our pop-culture have painted their own version.
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| That's one creative barn! |
The painting came to be seen in the Great Depression as a depiction of steadfast American pioneer spirit. Wood was quoted as saying, "All the good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow." He renounced his Bohemian youth in Paris, and grouped himself with Midwestern painters like Thomas Hart Benton and John Steuart Curry.
Wood entered his painting in a competition at the Art Institute of Chicago. Not all judges liked it, but a museum patron convinced them to award it the bronze medal and a $300 cash prize. The patron also convinced the Art Institute to buy the painting, and it remains in Chicago today.
Link to Chicago Art Institute: http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/6565
The image has been reproduced in newspapers. At first - Iowans were furious at their depiction. One farm-wife threatened to bite Wood's ear off. Wood protest and said he didn't paint a caricature of Iowans - but rather a depiction of Americans.
Wood's own sister, Nan, was embarrassed at being depicted as the wife of someone twice her age - and began telling people that the painting was of a man and his daughter. Grand confirmed this in a letter written to him by a Mrs. Nellie Sudduth in 1941.
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| American Postage Stamp 2007 |
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| Here's a page for you to color - or enlarge it and paint it on your barn or paint a mural in your home! |
We will visit the American Gothic house in Eldon, Iowa, this spring. What a great photo opportunity to pose our girls in front of this house which has become an American icon! Sounds like the photo will make a great Christmas card for 2012!!!
Here's some information if you are planning a trip to Iowa:
http://www.wapellocounty.org/americangothic/educate/ag.htm
The American Gothic House is featured in Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel 2012” book! It made the list of “Top 10 Places to Put Yourself in the Picture”. The section reads. “Are they really pretty as a picture? Walk into the world’s most famous works of art”. Top destinations were in Denmark, France, Spain, French Polynesia…and Iowa!
The American Gothic House Center is now a member of www.ShopForMuseums.com. This is a free program where you can make purchases at hundreds of online stores and a percentage of the proceeds (which varies depending on the company) go to the American Gothic House Center. No need to register, (but you can if you would like to track your donation) just simply click on American Gothic House Center under the list of organizations, and then find the store you would like to shop. You are not charged any more for your purchase by going through this site, but it generates a donation for the Center.
Marcia's BLOG: hhttp://tellmeastory-marcia.blogspot.com/
I never knew so much about this house and the picture. I love history stuff like that. Thanks for the insight! More, more!
ReplyDeleteDear Witty Patriot,
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear from another lover of history! History is much more appealing when you view it in light of people's stories. Did you read my story. DEAR BESS: LOVE LETTERS FROM THE PRESIDENT...about Bess and Harry Truman? Thanks for sharing your comment. Please come back, and invite a friend. Blessings! Marcia