GRANT WOOD
EARLY LIFE
Grant Wood was one of the most recognizable American painters of the 20th century, and a proud Iowan whose work helped define what American art meant during the Great Depression.
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Wood was born on a small farm in Anamosa, Iowa. He grew up around corn fields, rolling hills, small towns, and Iowa families. After his father died when he was ten, his mother moved the family to Cedar Rapids, where Wood’s art journey began. At the start of Wood’s career, he worked as a metalsmith and decorator, saving enough money to study art in Minneapolis, Chicago, and later in Europe. During his time in Germany and France, he gained inspiration from Renaissance Art the fine detail and specific style deeply influenced him. This caused Wood to come home with new ideas about America and how he wanted to portray it. He wanted to give that same attention to the details of the American Midwest, the place he knew the best.
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IOWA CITY
By the late 1920s, Wood began painting the people and landscapes of Iowa in a detailed, sculpture style. He completed his most famous painting in 1930, American Gothic, which showed a stern farmer and his daughter, who were modeled by Wood’s sister and his dentist. The painting became an instant sensation that was known countrywide. Americans everywhere felt like it showed a real side of the USA.
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Wood went on to become a leader of the Regionalist art movement. Regionalism celebrated small town life, everyday work, and distinctly American subjects. This was a change from abstract modernism, which was popular in Europe at the time.
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On top of his art, Wood was also a passionate teacher and mentor. At the University of Iowa, he encouraged students to look to their own communities for artistic inspiration. His Cedar Rapids home and studio became a gathering place for local artists.
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Grant Wood’s life was relatively short, he died of pancreatic cancer in 1942 at just 50 years old. Still, Wood’s legacy lives on. His art continues to capture the mix of pride, humor, and complexity that defines rural America. And his American Gothic painting remains one of the most recognized images in the world. Wood has left behind timeless symbols of strength, irony, and American identity.