portrait subjects out of context

[daphnep]

When I was in Chicago last month, I was looking at Grant Wood's American Gothic and I realized (as I often do, standing before iconic paintings) that what we think we know about a painting isn't really true. In this instance, what I "think" is of a painting with two very dour old people, when in fact, what I was looking at was

Comments

[low_delta]

Ms. Gothic is not really very old (she the man's daughter), but with the lipstick, she looks a lot younger. Probably looks more like her actual age.

[shuttergal]

Yes, that picture is called something like The Framer's Daughter as its real title. That is why Paul Newman and his daughter Nell spoofed it for their picture on their organic food line. SIgh. Paul Newman. Man oh man.

[shuttergal]

Not that does not mean that their modern day selves could not be a hipster couple ; )

[daphnep]

Oh, there's some other good spoofs here: http://jcdurbant.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/histoire-culturelle-vous-avez-dit-icone-american-gothic-the-extraordinary-odyssey-of-americas-most-loved%E2%80%94and-reviled%E2%80%94painting/

and another here:
http://www.imaginativeconservative.org/2011/05/thinking-aloud-on-agrarianism.html

I guess everybody looks at that painting and feels like they're staring at their own contemporaries.

[fasterpussycat]

you are awesome

[daphnep]

Why thank you. I'm glad this is all it takes.

[portia]

Actually, your version of Lisa reminds me of you.

[congogirl]

I thought the same thing.

[daphnep]

That makes sense, since I looked at my own eyebrows to figure out how eyebrows sit on the browbone--and the eyebrows made the single biggest change.

Plus, the hair's pretty obvious, too, but that just seemed the easiest way to edit that--chop it off and fluff it!

[manraysky]

My husband saw this post out of the corner of his eye and said "is that Mona Lisa with Princess Leia buns?" :)

Lisa with eyebrows is adorable.

[daphnep]

Oooh, that could be the next series--famous portrait subjects as star wars characters.