Steven Biel
American Gothic
A Life of America’s Most Famous Painting
“Masterful. . . . This is cultural studies at its best.”—Chase Madar, Time Out New York
“In his absorbing and often funny cultural study, Steven Biel traces the life of a painting that most of us have seen countless times but haven’t given much thought to . . . [he] persuasively shows how the multiple interpretations of the work's meanings reflect cultural shifts in American society.”—John McMurtrie, San Francisco Chronicle
“A slim but jam-packed record of critical reaction.”—Matthew Price, Washington Post
“A lively cultural history tracing the popular reception of Wood’s masterpiece that suggests how thoroughly the work has taken on a life of its own in the national imagination. . . . Biel argues persuasively that Wood's imaginative identification of Midwestern rectitude and repression with the American identity and character has become one of the work's most enduring legacies. . . . [A] rich, detailed portrait of a native masterpiece that is surely the most recognizable American artwork of the 20th century.”—Glenn McNatt, Baltimore Sun
“[Biel] writes with wit and broad knowledge.”—Jeanine Basinger, New York Times
Steven Biel is the director of the History and Literature Program at Harvard University.
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Also available:
Down with the Old Canoe
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