Monday, July 2, 2012

American Gothic Barn Charm


Local regionist artist, Grant Wood painted what became a cultural icon, American Gothic in 1930. It hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood ventured to Eldon, Iowa to paint AG using the simple house which still stands today. The farmer was Wood's dentist and the farmer's daughter was Nan Wood, Grant's sister. This barn is painted with Iowa and Midwestern scenes and is located a few hundred feet east of the Palisades-Kepler State Park near Mount Vernon, Iowa along Highway 30. Many highway travelers slow down when they near the larger than life portrait of an American classic. Some jump out of their vehicle and try to strike the classic pose for a snapshot. Welcome to Iowa.






12 comments:

  1. Love it and would really like to see this one in person!
    Thanks so much for sharing this one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh! Very nice!
    Nice barn and photo!
    from Photo by Ingun, Norway

    ReplyDelete
  3. that is freakin' awesome!!! love it!! would love to see this one in person. i'm making a list. got to tell the hubby when he get home. thank you for sharing. (:

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow...awesome...thanks for sharing the history of this classic painting!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! This is just totally cool!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I always wondered who those 2 were & what the story was behind it, thank you for that & for sharing it here on Barn Charm! Very cool =)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great find! I'll have to swing by there sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am a big Grant Wood fan. This is one fantastic barn!

    ReplyDelete
  9. A wow barn. love the effort to paint that.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fantastic! I can see why it would stop traffic.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ha never knew it existed. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete