Grant Wood

Grant Wood (1891-1942) was a prominent American painter known for his depictions of rural life in the American Midwest. Born near Anamosa, Iowa, Wood studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later in Europe, where he was influenced by the clarity of Northern Renaissance art. Wood's work is characterized by its straightforward, detailed style and often idealized portrayal of rural America. As one of the key figures of the Regionalist art movement, he sought to create a uniquely American style of art, distinct from European modernism. His most famous work, "American Gothic" (1930), featuring a farmer and his daughter standing in front of a Carpenter Gothic style house, has become one of the most recognizable images in 20th-century American art. Despite his relatively short career, Grant Wood's paintings continue to symbolize a particular strain of American identity and remain influential today.