Grant Wood
Today we present an absolute classic of American art. American Gothic is undoubtedly one of the most famous paintings (and most parodied) in the world. It depicts a farmer standing beside his daughter (often mistakenly assumed to be his wife). Grant Wood was inspired to paint this house (which still exists!) from Eldon, Iowa, along with "the kind of people [he] fancied should live in that house." The painting's name is a word play on the house's architectural style, Carpenter Gothic.
So, the artist invented everything. The figures were modeled by Wood's sister Nan Wood Graham and their dentist Dr. Byron McKeeby. The woman is dressed in a colonial print apron evoking 20th-century rural America while the man is adorned in overalls covered by a suit jacket and carries a pitchfork. The plants on the porch of the house are mother-in-law's tongue and beefsteak begonia, which also appear in Wood's other paintings.
At first, the painting was criticized (like a lot of now-super famous and important paintings), but later American Gothic came to be seen as a depiction of the steadfast American pioneer spirit.
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P.S. Remember that we mentioned American Gothic was one of the most parodied works in the world? Here we covered SNL's interpretation of American Gothic; it is hilarious!