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Grant Wood
Two solemn figures stand side-by-side in front of a white farmhouse in the painting on the cover. They each wear an expression that is hard to interpret. The artist, Grant Wood, right, invites viewers to wonder who these people are. When the Art Institute of Chicago first displayed this painting, called American Gothic, in 1930, Wood was virtually unknown. Today historians consider his painting the most well-known American artwork of the 20th century.
In the painting on the cover, a man and a woman with long faces stand in front of a white farmhouse. It’s hard to grasp what they’re feeling. The artist invites you to wonder who these people are.
American artist Grant Wood, pictured left, painted this work. When the Art Institute of Chicago first displayed it in 1930, most people had no idea who Wood was. But today, this painting, titled American Gothic, is one of the most famous American artworks of the 20th century.