Critique #3. Critique of American Gothic. Genre: Art (painting)

Critique of American Gothic
Name:
Genre: Art (painting)
Where you experienced it: Whitney Museum of American Art
When was it: 11th June, 2018
Title of exhibition: Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables Exhibition
Grant Wood’s American Gothic is unquestionably a masterpiece and ranks among the finest work of art of its day. Although the painting is perceived by many to be an enigmatic composition, it is firmly entrenched in America’s art culture. The painting is usually on displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago. As a result, displaying it at the Whitney Museum of America’s art in New York presented a lifetime opportunity for people like me to see it with my own eyes. The portrait shows a couple standing in front of their house. The house was built using an architectural design known as American or Carpenter Gothic. Wood saw that gothic design in Eldon town and incorporated that idea in the painting. The man in the painting is Dr. Byron, Wood’s dentists, while the woman is his sister, Nan. Therefore, the interpretation of the portrait can be based on a couple or two people just standing together. Little of the background is observable because the figures are so close.
When American Gothic was first displayed in 1930, people from Eldon town were outraged because they perceived the painting to be a mockery of their small-town culture. Obviously, the grim-faced couple contributed a lot to that outrage. However, Wood painted American Gothic as an affirmative proclamation of American values that were essential in handling the Great Depression. This position is supported by the man's hay fo...