Which artist painted American Gothic?

Which artist painted American Gothic? Grant Wood painted it. The 1930 oil painting shows a stern-looking man holding a pitchfork beside a woman in front of a white Carpenter Gothic farmhouse. It became one of the most recognizable images in American art.

Wood found the house in Eldon, Iowa, and used it as his inspiration. The two figures were modeled by his sister, Nan Wood Graham, and his dentist, Byron McKeeby—not a married farming couple, as many viewers assume. The pointed window, pitchfork, and repeated vertical lines give the composition its distinctive structure.

The painting caused controversy when it was first exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago. Some Iowans felt it mocked rural people, while Wood said he intended an appreciation of the Midwest. It won a $300 prize and was purchased by the museum, where it remains. Its serious expressions have since made it a favorite subject for parodies and advertisements.