Grant Wood Self Portrait

Grant Wood was born in 1891 and grew up on a small farm in Iowa. He attended art classes as often as funds would allow and at the University of Iowa he went to classes without enrolling. When he was drafted in World War I he painted camouflage on artillery. When he returned home he taught to high school students until he could support himself as an artist. He traveled to Europe often.

This is Wood's famous American Gothic painting that brought the artist overnight popular and critical national fame at age 39.