I have written about Grant Wood here before. Most know him from American Gothic, the well-known painting of the somber farmer and wife and pitchfork in front of a neat farm home. But for me, I am totally enthralled by his landscapes, drawing heavy influence from the way his curvy hillocks and fields come to life within his compositions. Whenever I am feeling less than inspired all I need to do is glimpse a Grant Wood landscape and I am filled with vigor, envisioning new work of my own that draws upon the same life force and rhythm that I am seeing in his work.
I think that Wood and I share the same belief that the landscape is alive and is best represented by human curves and, looking at his work, it is easy to connect with the humanity beneath it. I’ve included some of my favorite Grant Wood landscapes here including The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere with its nocturnal blue tint in its upper reaches. It’s a bright and shining painting but you never doubt that it is a night scene. That’s one of the other lessons that I drew from Wood– that you can represent things that are counter-intuitive if you paint them with that sense of rightness in your mind that allows it to see that thing in its essence, in its true nature.
It’s almost like seeing things through the eyes of a child. Not quite but in that spirit. For such a seemingly simple concept, it’s a difficult thing to get across. Anyway, enjoy these pieces from the great Mr. Wood. I know that they have filled me with inspiration already this morning.
Redtree Times 
Great post! Oh, but I can offer one correction: the couple pictured in American Gothic are a Farmer and his daughter (not wife). I didn’t know either until I moved to Iowa and was corrected by a local…!
I grew up in Iowa and didn’t know that. No disrespect to you, Tom, but I wasn’t even sure I believed it now.
I stand corrected. Here’s a nice summation from one site:
Wood’s subjects spurred much of the debate. Was the pair a farmer husband and wife, or a father and daughter? Many Iowa farmers’ wives objected to what they perceived as a negative portrayal, writing letters of complaint to the artist. Wood later revealed that the models were his 30-year-old sister and their 62-year-old family dentist.
Wood’s sister was named Nan, and his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby.
I love that the farmers’ wives took offense!
Thanks for the correction, Tom. It was one of those long held assumptions about a painting that I often overlooked in favor of these landscapes. Hope life is treating you well in Iowa.
I’ve never noticed the simiiarity between Wood’s curving roads, and their presence in your work.
But what I enjoyed most here was the Paul Revere painting. When I first looked at it, I had the feeling I was looking at a photograph of a model village made of wood or cardboard. It’s like a diorama, or a model train village. The effect is just amazing. I really like it.
You’re right, it does feel a bit like a diorama. When I think about it, a number of his piece have that same sense about them. Interesting.
These are spectacular!
So glad you like these, Melanie. It was great seeing Mike and you at the Principle a few weeks ago. I hope you are enjoying your new life in Maryland!
On Wed, May 14, 2014 at 6:20 PM, Redtree Times wrote:
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We are looking forward to your upcoming exhibit at the Principle Gallery! 🙂