User-Created Content
By zachlowe1
On July 10, 2019
Bell Ringer: American Gothic and the American Midwest
Description
This bellringer highlights American Gothic, the iconic painting of Grant Wood, along with a brief summation of his personal and artistic background, through a visit to the artist's studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (IA).
Bell Ringer Assignment
- Pause the first clip at about the 0:20 mark and record the images you see in the painting, "American Gothic."
- How was Grant Wood's style of painting influenced by his early trip to Europe?
- According to the clip, how was Wood able to become a full-time artist in an era when that would have been exceedingly difficult?
- In the second clip, what symbols did Wood include in his iconic painting? How were these symbols representative of Midwestern people and culture?
- How do you think this painting influenced people's perceptions of life in the American Midwest? Explain your answer.
Additional Resource
Participants
Vocabulary
- Art
- Carriage House
- Gothic Architecture
- Impressionist
- Juxtapose
- Landscape
- Midwest
- Mortuary
- Puritanical
- Spinster