single photos American Goth

G, here's the original, and a blurb cut and pasted from the Art Institute of Chicago's web site at :

http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Modern/pages/MOD_5.shtml

 

 

"Grant Wood?s American Gothic caused a stir in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at The Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farm couple posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame. The Iowa native, then in his late 30s, was enchanted by a cottage he had seen in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Its Gothic Revival style, indicated by the upper window designed to resemble a medieval pointed arch, inspired the painting?s title. He asked his dentist and his sister Nan to pose as a farmer and his unmarried daughter. The highly detailed style and rigid frontal arrangement of the figures were inspired by Northern Renaissance art, which the artist studied during three trips to Europe. After returning to Iowa, he became increasingly appreciative of the traditions of the Midwest, which he also celebrated in works such as this.

 

" American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. It is a primary example of Regionalism, a movement that aggressively opposed European abstract art, preferring depictions of rural American subjects rendered in a representational style. The painting has become part of American popular culture, and the couple has been the subject of endless parodies. Some believe that Wood used this painting to satirize the narrow-mindedness and repression that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture, an accusation he denied. The painting may also be read as a glorification of the moral virtue of rural America or even as an ambiguous mixture of praise and satire. "

wups!!

 

perhaps this is more convenient.

Doug, now I understand the whole meaning. Thanks for reminding me. Gothic in Europe refers to totally different issues.

The whole way of living is similar to parodic serial "Adams Family", the cartoon and a movie "Beetlejuice", too.

In my opinion, the pun between Anderson's Goth and Wood's American Gothic is the strongest feature, and the best part of this week's POW. In that sense, it is a tremendous success. Photographically, I agree that it needs some improvement, as many others have suggested.

I've seen a very similar scene in the cinema a couple of years ago.

 

A couple of years?

 

About 20 or so!

 

I am getting very old... :)

to large? Maybe this works:

It looks like a lot of work went into this photo. I'm in love. It is one of the most original, and refreshing pieces of photography I've seen in along time. The use of light is simple, but it makes the subjects look as if they're part of a parallel dimension that accidentally appeared in three dimensional reality, right in front of a church.

 

The girl looks like bait her witch mother is using to attract a wealthy suitor, so she can bear his child, and then kill him by nicking his neck with her sharpened nails, painted with neurotoxic brew her mother made the previous afternoon. Then the inheritance is all hers.

 

The inhuman effect of taking the iris out of the eye, and making it all pupil, gives this couple a special edge over people to look out of place in the scene.

 

Suzy and Bob look like they just stopped on earth to pose for one photo on their way minion training classes. There is a sense they do not belong, and have more important things to do, but at the same time, if they're going to pose, they're going to do it the best they can, and that is a good pose.

 

It's sassy, naughty, and evil; but wakes the viewer up to the reality that it isn't real. I would classify this as a very loose parody, and more able to stand on it's own, while gaining popularity as an upshoot from 20th century pop culture.

 

It stands well on it's own, but it's not art. It's not kitsch either. It's something a 10 year old boy might like a poster of in his bedroom, because the female is extremely attractive. I think it's worth promoting.

I like how many of you are saying these people don't look gothic enough. I don't know if they are models or real goths, but it matters little; I'm overly familiar with the goth culture, and I can assure you that eyeliner and piercings are not a requirement to belong to the goth nation, neither is being effeminate or emotionally challenged. There are many strong, socially adjusted individuals who are goths; it goes further, and deeper, than dress or make-up.

 

In this respect, I think this photo is perfect. As a parody? Brilliant. Somebody mentioned that the goth girl is not in a subservient pose like the original; exactly, I'm sure that was one of the photographer's intentions. As for the tones and exposure, to each their own; they are not perfect, but I think they work perfectly in this *parody*.

 

PS: I suspect many of you are confusing Emos with Goths. They're not the same thing, people!

Miserere my dear there is no confusion on my part and only an objective person can compare the two, those involved are in no position to differenciate between Emos and Goths. If your socially adiusted types went up to the Goths in this city they would be called try hards. The only difference between Goths and Emos is the bands they follow and how they choose to damage themselves.

Do goths wear leopard print? I don't think the background matches the models. In the original, ma and pa were standing in front of their farm. I don't see a goth couple standing in front of what looks like a clean red brick church (or schoolhouse?) being consistent. Perhaps a club in the meat packing district (pre-gentrification) would be more appropriate; at night. Just a thought.

completely dig it. and it made me laugh. so of these times. no nice light, plastic skin harsh and stark... i think it's great.

I think many of you are taking the wrong approach here. One must assume

that the photographer was competent enough to manipulate this photo exactly as he wanted. Instead of criticizing her/him for windows in buildings, off center and tilted buildings, washed out foreground and

weird pitchforks, one might instead take a less arrogant point of view

and ponder the meaning of each element in the picture, no matter how jarring. Remember that in the paintings of the old masters, every element had a symbolic meaning, generally known to all. Today, we have to puzzle the meanings out for ourselves.

 

Perhaps the edge markings are there to convince us that the photo was

not manipulated. To me, the "pitchfork" is appropriate, since it is

in reality a "spading fork" commonly used by modern urban gardeners. It places the time of the photo in the late 20th or early 21st century. Knowing nothing about the modern "Goth" culture, I can't say

if the attitude of the subjects is appropriate or not. Perhaps it is

a comment on typical "Goth" moods. It may even be that the subjects

are Goth wannabes who are as ignorant as I on these matters.

Blah, blah, blah. Enough.

I think that this is a very good photo that has a lot to say. It really goes to show how much life has changed over the years. The "American Gothic" painting showed what one expected to see in life then, and "American Goth" shows what we are really seeing in the world today. I think it's great, very moving.

Omerican gothic (Maui)

http://www.photosight.ru/photo.php?photoid=2343812

http://img-2007-10.photosight.ru/08/2343812.jpg

Imagine you're at a party and someone tells a joke. Everybody laughs, and someone says "Wait wait! I have a great one!" and they tell the same joke. -- That's kind of how I feel looking at this. The subject is so abysmally over-mined that pluming it once again for a joke that's obvious is painful.

 

In fact, if you google "american goth" and click images you get this over and over and over.

 

I don't think the technical execution lifts it into the realm of "we need to discuss it for it's innovation" either -- take out the joke and insert two random people and it's just a not terribly amazingly lit photo of two people in front of a building.

 

Sorry.