In the Louvre, hangs a portrait with a curious smile and piercing eyes which follow one’s every step as they walks across the room. The woman in the portrait has vexed art critics and tourists for centuries. Often pictures are described as alive, as having wants and desires. Why is she smiling? Why did he cut his ear off? Why are they unhappy? There is a sense of mystery in great pictures and this mystery is what captivates an audience, leaves an impression, and becomes great art. Art leaves people wondering.
‘American Gothic,’ painted by Grant Wood, has this sense of mystery. At first glance, one notices a solemn man, holding a pitchfork, standing next to a bitter, hardened woman. The two stand close in front of a house, staring off in
…show more content…
It wants it be stared at until the viewer notices every little detail. It wants to be noticed. The man’s determined stare and pursed lips captivate the viewer. And once the viewer is drawn in, it’s the figures’ turn to tell their story. His body language reads tense, as he guards the woman, his home, and his way of life. Is he determined not to let his worldly burden overtake him? Is he defending his way of life, his values, or his wife? Is he too determined? The woman’s gaze, however, reads differently. Her eyes have a sense of longing, as if she longs to leave the man and his sternness. Maybe she longs for a better life with less hardship, or maybe for a better lover who satisfies her needs. Maybe, she wishes he was a different type of man, less hard and more understanding of her. She is upset, displeased with her life and judging from the man’s expression he can sense this. He recognizes her misery but cannot relate to her needs. Thus he holds firm to what he knows, the hard, disciplined life in his dulled world. His stubbornness frustrates her, for he is unwilling to sway from ingrained beliefs. He guards her from the outside world, preventing her escape to the life she so