Grant Wood

Grant Wood (1892-1942), American painter, born in Anamosa, Iowa, and trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Académie Julien in Paris. He taught art in the public schools of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1919-1924), and served as artist in residence (1935-1942) at the University of Iowa. Wood is best known for his later paintings, which depict the scenes and people of his native Iowa. He was strongly influenced by the subject matter and technique of the early German and Flemish primitive painters. In translating their stylized formality to the American scene, however, he added his own distinctive touches of affectionate irony and hard realism. This satirical treatment can be observed in Wood's most famous work, the double portrait, American Gothic (1930, Art Institute of Chicago), and in Daughters of Revolution (1932, Cincinnati Art Museum) as well.