Compare and Contrast Two Pieces of American Art

Exotic Pitchforks American art has been molded and shaped by different cultures around the world, and through the years different artists have given different kinds of art their own little special touch. A very famous type of painting is oil painting, and Americans just so happen to be very good at making them. One oil painting that almost everyone is familiar with is “American Gothic” by Grant Wood, and another one that is a little less famous is “The Peaceable Kingdom” by Edward Hicks. Both pieces of work come from different time periods, making it easy to see how American Art has evolved yet also stayed the same. The “American Gothic” by Grant Wood was first created in 1930, during a time of great issues in America. In the painting Mr. Wood shows two of the most plain looking people, in front of the plainest looking house, in small farming state of Iowa. The piece was meant to show how life was for back in more colonial times, and Wood got the idea when he saw the old colonial home while traveling in Iowa. The man and woman both look melancholy and plain, to show that life maybe wasn't the best, with the man holding a pitchfork to represent hard work and the woman wearing an apron with flowers over her shoulder to show that she is the typical domestic house-wive. The models for the painting were Mr. Wood's wife and surprisingly, their dentist. The less famous “The Peaceable Kingdom” by Edward Hicks was painted in late 1833. Although it is not considered religious, Hicks piece really shows Quaker ideas. Hicks painted 61 different versions of
Parris 2 this painting. In the painting we can see different weird and exotic animals posing with angel children, and in the far background the Native Americans are making contact with the colonists. The animals and children are taken from Isaiah in the bible. Hicks used his paintings as a way to show his main interest, which was a redeemed soul. These two painting were painted in almost the exact

Cited: www.Wikipedia.org[->0]/Edward_Hicks www.pbs.org[->1] [->0] - http://www.Wikipedia.org/ [->1] - http://www.pbs.org/