This satisfying album by a set of art historians recounts the life and appraises the work and reputation of artist Grant Wood (1891-1942). Indelibly branded as a Depression-era American regionalist in the company of John Steuart Curry and Thomas Hart Benton, Wood had a more varied background than that label would imply. In the biographical chapter, Joni Kinsey explains that Wood was influenced early by the arts-and-crafts movement, succeeded by his interest in impressionism, which he emulated on painting trips to Europe. On one 1928 journey, Wood radically changed his style. Returning to his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wood developed his signature look of semisurreal objectivity and produced his most significant paintings in a burst of creativity. Analyzed by Wanda Corn, who thankfully finds a proportionate place for
American Gothic, the core of Wood's oeuvre is reproduced in color plates, opening to viewers the tension between satire and affection apparent in Wood's approach to his usually rural subjects. Bound to be popular with browsers.
Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Kurzbeschreibung
Zeitgleich mit der feierlichen Eröffnung von Grant Woods Atelier im Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Iowa im September 2005 erscheint diese Untersuchung des populären amerikanischen Malers (1892-1942), die die fruchtbarste Periode des Künstlers in seinem Atelier im mittleren Westen nachzeichnet. Die Entwicklung seines Werks wird anhand vieler berühmter Gemälde und Zeichnungen - darunter "American Gothic" (1930) - sowie selten gezeigter kunsthandwerklicher Arbeiten deutlich gemacht.