American Gothic and Fall Plowing were painted in the early 1930s by Grant Wood. Both paintings have many similarities and differences. American Gothic and Fall Plowing offer a discrete description of rural life with contrasting point of views.
             I beleive that American Gothic is portraying American life style in the 1930s. The pitch fork explains the means of income for the average farmer. The tight grip on the pitch fork represents how hard people were working to support their famialies. Both individuals have a plain and discontentful expression on their face. This is a representation of the ongoing depression in America. The painting also seems to be a photograph after church. Dress clothes are being worn by the old man and his apparant daughter. A general assumption of living during the depression can be established by this painting.
             Fall Plowing gives the essence of land in America during the depression. It shows exactly what the land was used for. A house in the background symbolizes a connection for farming with civilization. The coloring of the trees distinguish the beginning of autumn and changing of season. An oxen driven plow is placed in the front to show agricultural ways of using the land. Neatly patterned haystacks represent the farmer and his systematic ways. This painting gives a broad perspective of agricultural life in America.
             Grant Wood was able to use two different perspectives in these paintings. Both paintings represented American life, but depicted an image from contrasting views. American Gothic gave a personal touch and closer look at life in probably mid-western United States. Wood's Fall Plowing offered a far reaching view of farming. Each painting expressed America in contradicting point of views. The widescreen and threee dimensional version of Fall Plowing gives the viewer a general knowledge of small town life. Whereas the blocked view
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