American Gothic House

The house that Grant Wood used as a model in his painting American Gothic is in Iowa.

I have always loved this painting and of course have my ideas about the value in terms of art therapy.

A farmer on a documentary I was watching a couple days ago made reference to this painting in trying to convey to the viewer that modern farming wasn't like American Gothic.  I turned the documentary off and immediately went to my canvas EIEIO and scrapped my oil well and stone chimney.  Perhaps the lingering mood of my experiences with remodeling the old schoolhouse in Hopewll also played into the instantaneous Ah Ha moment that proceeded striking out two of my main implements to tell the story of the sadness of capitalism.  I now have to deteriorate the building that I love.  One of my art students this week drew and painted buildings on fire.  I don't think he knew how his painting paralleled what I have to do to part of my painting.  I know what I must do...but sometimes out of the mouths of babes gets at a truth.