Conferencia “Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930) as an icon of American popular culture” con Dr. Tomasz Skirecki

El día miércoles 8 de junio, a las 11.30 horas, se realizará la conferencia “Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930) as an icon of American popular culture” con Dr. Tomasz Skirecki, del Department of Studies in Culture, Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland. La actividad será presencial en el auditorio de Letras UC, campus San Joaquín. (Av. Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, metro Línea 5, estación San Joaquín).

ABSTRACT

Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930) as an icon of American popular culture.

American Gothic by Grant Wood is arguably one of the most recognized paintings in American art. While it captures the historical reality of the Great Depression, rural America, and Puritan spirit, its current popularity rests on its status as an icon of American popular culture. Throughout the years American Gothic has become one of the most parodied and re-enacted paintings in the world and has developed a unique cult following. In the talk I will outline the history of the painting and then focus on numerous cultural references in and to the painting as well as its uses in various cultural contexts and parodies. I will also attempt to answer the questions: What is a pop cultural icon? What makes an object an icon of popular culture? and, Why can the knowledge of this piece of Americana and its contexts be useful in studying the humanities?