Existing comment:
Benny Andrews
born Madison, GA 1930–died New York City 2006
American Gothic
1971
oil, cut and pasted burlap, canvas, and fabric on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, The Eugene and Estelle Ferkauf Foundation Gift, 1989, 1989.61
Andrews cofounded the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, which sought racial equality in the art world. He was also a military veteran, having served in the Air Force in the 1950s. American Gothic was part of a group of paintings he created to register "his feelings and impressions of this place -- America," touching on themes of sexism, justice, and war. Appalled by news accounts of citizens who vocally supported the war despite the immense loss of life and evidence of the government's deceit, the artist created American Gothic, portraying "the military being used by misguided citizenry." A soldier on hands and knees strains under the body of a woman holding a tiny American flag, her eyes staring blankly ahead. |