I've been ignoring my interest in art, so today is the first of three days' catchup. Day one is uncategorized, or odds and ends if you will. I'm starting with "Sultry Night" by Grant Wood of "American Gothic" fame. This was originally a color painting, but galleries and museums refused to show it in 1937 when it was made . . . you guessed it, because it showed a penis. Wood couldn't even get the Post Office to ship it. He literally took a saw, cut off the end with the nude man, and burned it as a protest. Fortunately, he kept a black and white lithograph master that he had made.
Too bad he burned it. This is really nice...penis and all!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly gives us a different perspective on an important 20th C. American artist. It's a dramatic contrast to the staid stiffness of American Gothic.
DeleteThankfully, it makes an excellent lithograph. That moment, as the water flows, frozen in time. You can feel the hot, sultry night.
ReplyDeleteYes, the feel comes through.
DeleteIt's very interesting that besides American Gothic, which I like, that he also produced treasures like the one in this post
ReplyDeletePlus, he went so far as to protest the prudery of the era. I just wish he'd found a way to do it other than destroying to color original.
Delete