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“American Gothic”
“American Gothic” is a regional classic in the arts of the U.S. history. It refers to an iconic portrait showing the characteristics of the ancient community of the United States. The painting is an ageless artistic work by Grant Wood that portrays the rural life and anti-modernism of American citizens. The portrait motivated John Stone to write the poem “American Gothic,” where he focuses on each feature of the painting that is concealed in the art. The depth of Grant’s artistic work is visible upon a close look at the art. John Stone, in his poem, reveals the primary emotions and thoughts that are concealed in the art. He explains the art in his own words and shows the emotional realism in the art from an artistic point of view.
Grant Wood gained admiration is an honorable artist in the records of American arts because of the American gothic painting. After the portrait became famous, it was displayed in London and named the symbol of United States regionalism. The picture focuses on a bald, aged farmer who is standing in front of his house with his daughter. The old farmer is holding a pitchfork and has a navy coat. The skin of the farmer’s head is turned by intense ultraviolet rays indicating the struggles of ancient U.S. farmers.
The painting clearly shows the constant hardships of the farmer to create the modern community. The early American farmers’ difficulties are also demonstrated in John Stone’s poem, where he says, “these two by now the sun this high.” The farmers worked diligently despite the intense rays of the sun. In the painting, on the farmer’s right hand is a young woman (an old farmer’s daughter) dressed in a modest way with neatly pulled back hairs. Eyebrows are furrowed, showing that she was staring at something from a distance and did not amaze her. Her facial expression reveals the emotions and anger at what she was glaring at.
In his poem, Stone mentioned the eyebrows of the young lady and wondered “whether she remembered to turn off the stove.” In this line, John tries to describe the remarkable appearance of women. Nevertheless, the lady’s in lower were displayed by them portrait despite it being famous. They argued that Grand Wood had misrepresented the real women’s culture in terms of a farmer’s daughter.
Something else that can be seen in the painting is the white farm home with a “Gothic style.” John Stone sees Grant’s depiction of the two figures as a satire and not a celebration. He argues that Grant paints a parody of the modern United States culture using the house. Grant says that the man and the woman depicted in front of a home are not a couple, but people whom he felt should live there and hence imply that the house and the people were obliviously ridiculous despite their seriousness.
The painting was named gothic, after the style of the window. Stone refers to the window in his poem as he says, “here for all times the boarders of the gothic window anticipate the ribs.” The farmer’s home was surrounded by various types of small and tall plants and shutterless windows. Behind the house is a forest whose tall trees are seen behind the roots. The changing color of the roof represents the beginning of the autumn season. The shinning sun rays and a clear sky are seen in the painting. Grant presented the truth of ancient American society by balancing the dark saturation in the art.
John Stone’s poem evaluates hidden farmers’ situations and activities in ancient American settings. Grant Wood’s original painting is interpreted differently by different artists, but it is still the essential symbol of regionalism and resilience in the United States. Grant explains the concealed present-day socials concern in the U.S. community, which is also discussed in various contexts. Stone describes the painting from his point of view, which shows a different direction in the U.S. society when integrated with the art. Nevertheless, the “American Gothic” is a symbol of American strength in case of a disaster. In the first paragraph of the poem, John explains his view, “Just outside the frames, there has to be a dog/chicken, cows, hay and a smokehouse.”
In his poem, John focuses on the daughter and his father’s situation, which reveals to the audience that the daughter and her father were stuck in the ancient American community’s hardships. The creative liberty is seen in line 28 of the poem, where John says, “asking the artists silently how much longer and worrying about the crops.”
The farmer’s daughter appears to be nervous about something that John Stone explains as “whether she remembered to turn off the stove.” John perfectly explains the sentiments expressed by the faces of the two people in the painting as “long faces, the sober lips/ above the upright spines of this couple.” This indicates that both the farmer and his daughter take care of their responsibilities and tasks. Nevertheless, the two people in the painting are undergoing a thought process which represents the societal issues that led to their thoughts.
In other sections of the poem, John Stone describes that the lifestyle of the farmer and his daughter “linger within the patient fabric of the lives they wove.” In this case, John discloses the unique way Grant Wood portrayed the farmer and his daughter. This unique way of representing the couple in the painting reveals the artist’s new lifestyle, whereby he lived in Cedar close to Anamosa and Stone city. Grant’s first lifestyle impacted on him as depicted in his artistic work. The iconic painting also portrays the elements of an aged farmer whose mind is focused on his land without working. He is holding a pitchfork in front of the homestead and seems as though something has frustrated him.
The irritation and tension themes (which are prominent throughout the poem) casually connect in the painting as conveyed by Stone in his American Gothic poem. The term American Gothic relates the art, and the poetry is connected. One portrays the underlying emotions and thoughts while the other presents a picture of regionalism in ancient American society. The same sentiments are revealed in both the literal and artwork.
John Stone’s poem can be referred to as ekphrasis of the American Gothic piece of art. The poem describes the narrative of the portrait of a farmer and his daughter in ancient American society. The poem’s context is creative and curious with a sense of humor, while the painting’s background is earnest and sturdy. A simultaneous examination of the two pieces of work gives the viewer comprehension of both the poem and the painting. The painting presents the visual insight into the poem and poses questions in the viewer’s minds about the daughter and her father.
The viewer may want to understand why they were holding pitchfork while standing in front of their homestead or what exactly it is that the women are staring at in the painting. The old farmer is holding a fork to safeguard against any form of attack, such as from wild animals. The visual expression of the daughter indicates that she might be staring at something dangerous that is coming towards them. Nevertheless, John’s poem interprets the surrounding from a different view, but it is only Grant who knows the actual context of the painting.
The painting and the poem complement each other. The art is Grant’s artistic masterpiece, which connected his lifestyle with the regional American society and the symbol of the American spirit. Stone’s poem reveals the hidden meaning of the painting surrounding humorously and uniquely. Both works present different themes but have a common idea of the American Gothic, which makes them complementary to each other. They both offer the concept of timeless painting in ancient American society.
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