Art is one of the most important creations of the humanity. Artists manage to notice important trends occurring in the society and these works draw people’s attention to these trends. Of course, all people are different since all of them have different experiences and, hence, different views. Thus, Grant Wood and Gordon Parks saw the USA differently. More so, Parks made his famous photograph American Gothic, Washington, DC as a response to Wood’s painting after the photographer talked to an African American woman (Soltysik Monnet 16). It is possible to identify three major differences between the two works: the view on hard labor, the impact of ethnicity on family relations and the role of females in the American society.
One of most eye-catching differences between the two works is the representation of hard manual labor. Grant Wood created his painting American Gothic in 1930, as he wanted to reveal “explicitly American themes and settings” (King 58). He understood that hard labor was the foundation of the country’s wellbeing and, hence the people depicted in the picture are determined to live their lives and to work hard. This determination is written in the faces of the people depicted. Two white people and their hard manual labor are displayed in the front while their white American house is in the background. The house represents the country and its wellbeing, the pitchfork and the people’s clothes can be seen as symbols of hard but noble and necessary work.
At the same time, Parks sees labor a bit differently. He also thinks that labor is the basis of the country’s wellbeing. There is a worker in the front and there is a flag of the USA that stands for the wellbeing of the country. However, the laborer depicted is not white. It is an African American female. It is necessary to note that there is no determination in the African American female’s eyes. There is certain kind of acceptance and submission. Clearly, unlike Wood, Parks believes that African Americans are the laborers whose hard and undepreciated work is the basis of the American wellbeing.
Another difference between the two works is the way the family is presented. It is clear that ethnicity plays an important role in the process of family formation. Thus, Wood depicts a couple. There is a man who runs the farm and completes hard manual tasks and there is a woman wearing specific clothes appropriate for household duties. The artist reveals his view on the American family. White people create families and work hard to achieve their goals.
On the contrary, Parks depicts a lonely African American female who has to work on her own to provide for her family. The photograph is a reaction to Wood’s view on the US society and, hence, it is clear that loneliness of the woman is not accidental. The photographer stresses that African Americans (especially females) are often left alone with their issues and problems and they have no one to rely on.
Another important difference is closely connected with the two mentioned above. The role of females in the US society is seen differently by the two artists. Wood has a conventional view on the role of the woman. According to his painting, the woman has to be beside (or rather right behind) the man who is always in charge. The female in the painting is looking at the man and it is clear that she always does what she is told to do. The woman is not a laborer, as she is not allowed to do that work or to take any responsibilities outside her household. Obviously, the world, as Wood saw it, was dominated by white men.
Unlike Wood’s representation, Parks saw the US society differently. According to the artist and his photograph, women are allowed to have jobs but those are jobs with low salaries. A cleaner is an unskilled worker who is paid little money. African American females have to work hard to provide for their families as they are the only bread-winners in many families. As has been mentioned above, the woman depicted in the photo seems to accept the rules, as she has no choice.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that the two works in questions provide different perspectives on the American society. Wood has a conventional view and he creates an image of the ‘white’ America where people work hard, which pays off as they have all they might need. However, Parks sees the USA as a non-white society. The photographer shows another aspect of the US society. Parks’ America is black and quite unjust. The photographer draws people’s attention to the hard work of African Americans, which does not pay off. The two works show two facets of the American society and they make Americans see the difference between the two worlds. Of course, it is important to discuss both of these works to understand peculiarities of the American society.
Works Cited
King, Richard H. “The Regions and Regionalism.” The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture. Ed. C.W.E. Bigsby. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 53-73. Print.
Soltysik Monnet, Agnieszka. The Poetics and Politics of the American Gothic: Gender and Slavery in Nineteenth-Century. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2013. Print.