16 February 2011

The models for American Gothic

The painting shows a farmer standing beside his spinster daughter (not his wife, as so many parodies and references assume). The figures were modeled by the artist's dentist and sister... The three-pronged hay fork is echoed in the stitching of the man's overalls, the Gothic window of the house and the structure of the man's face. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house.
Further info, esp re parodies, at Wikipedia.  Re the house (which I should have blogged first, as an unknown), see this Wikipedia entry; it may be worth another post later.

Pic found at Retrogasm, via Lost Found and Envied.

1 comment:

  1. re: the house - I cannot imagine living in a 500 square foot house with another adult and a dog, much less with another adult and eight children.

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