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Selfportrait of Grant Wood. Photo by Unknown author on

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Grant Wood

Grant DeVolson Wood, born on 13^th February 1891, was an American painter. He was also a representative of Regionalism. Grant was best known for his paintings which depicted the rural American Midwest.

Grant Wood was born and brought up in rural Iowa which is six kilometers East of Anamosa. His father was known as Hattie DeEtte Weaver Wood and his mother was Francis Maryville Wood. Grant and his family had to move to Cedar Rapids after his father passed away in 1901.

Later on after their relocation, Grant Wood started his apprenticeship in a local metal shop. He studied at Washington High School and later enrolled in the Handicraft Guild which was an art school that was run by women in Minneapolis in 1910.

Grant later enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1913 where he performed some work as a silversmith. He is well-known for American Gothic that later became an iconic example of early 20^th-century American art.

Here are the Top 10 Amazing Facts about Grant Wood:

1. Wood Began as an Apprentice in a Local Metal Shop after His Father’s Death

Grant Wood’s boyhood home, Cedar Rapids Bill Whittaker. Photo by Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance on

On 13^th February 1891, Grant Wood was born in rural Iowa which is 6 kilometres/4 miles east of Anamosa. Wood lived with his father, Hattie DeEtte Weaver Wood, and his mother Francis Maryville Wood until later in life.

At the age of 10 in 1901, his father died which made his mother relocate the family to Cedar Rapids. After the relocation, Grant Wood began as an apprentice in a local metal shop in Cedar Rapids where he started gaining his skills.

2. Grant Received Good Education from Various Schools

Arnold Comes of Age, Grant Wood painting. Author: Grant Wood on

Wood became an apprentice for some years before he joined high school. He studied high school at Washington High School where he graduated and later enrolled in the Handicraft Guild. Handicraft Guild was an art school that was entirely run by women in Minneapolis in 1910.

At the age of 21, Grant Wood enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was a very talented student who also performed some work as a silversmith. After his higher education, Wood had several work options to choose from.

3. Wood Joined the US Military as an Artist

After his higher education, World War I had already started and it was war in Europe before Americans joined. Towards the end of World War I, Grant Wood decided to join the United States military.

He was working as an artist who was designing camouflage scenes as well as other art. His role was dangerous and exhausting but he dedicated himself as he had chosen this part.

4. Grant Taught Art After World War I Providing Financial Stability

‘Sentimental Ballad’ by Grant Wood, 1940. Photo by Unknown author on Wikimedia

Between 1919 and 1925 after World War I, Grant Wood began teaching art to junior high school students in the Cedar Rapids school system. His work was good and helped him in several aspects of his social and financial life.

Teaching art to junior high school students helped provide financial stability. With the seasonal nature of his teaching job, Grant made several summer trips to Europe where he studied art. In the school calendar of 1923-1924, Grant Wood also took a leave of absence to spend an entire year studying art in Europe.

5. He Specialised in Many Styles of Painting in Europe

Grant Wood started living with his mother in what was a loft of a carriage house in Cedar Rapids from 1922 to 1935. He turned their house into a personal studio which he gave the address 5 Turner Alley.

Grant decided to specialize in many styles of painting in Europe during this period, 1922 to 1928. He made four trips to Europe for his studies which included Impressionism and post-Impressionism. The work of the 15^th-century Flemish artist Jan van Eyck had a huge influence on Grant that enable him to get clarity of this technique as well as incorporate it into his next new works.

6. Grant Oversaw the Making of Stained Glass for a Memorial Building in Munich

As years went by, Grant Wood made several trips to Europe where he learned a lot of art. His style and painting work improved well and got him to develop new skills and projects.

In 1928, Grant Wood made another trip to Munich which was very important. This trip to Munich was to oversee the making of stained glass windows which he had designed for a Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids.

7. He Helped in Founding the Stone City Art Colony near His Hometown

Grant Wood did several things to help society during his time. Other than teaching and educating people on art and painting, Grant also touched people through various projects.

Grant Wood helped in the founding of the Stone City Art Colony which was located near his home. The Stone City Art Colony was to assist artists to get through the Great Depression.

Grant also became a great proponent of regionalism in the arts. He went throughout the country lecturing on the topic solidifying his image in America and expunging his Bohemian days in Â鶹APP from his public persona.

8. Grant Wood Taught Painting at the University of Iowa

Landscape. Painting is owned jointly by the MIA and the Des Moines Art Center. Author: Grant Wood on

As he lectured across America and created a name for himself, Grant Wood did not forget his hometown too. Between 1934 to 1941, Grant Wood began teaching painting at the University of Iowa School of Art.

Through this period, Wood supervised mural painting projects as well as mentored students. He also produced a variety of his works and became a key part of the University of Iowa’s cultural community.

9. Wood was Married to Sara Amid Homosexuality Claims

Grant Wood never kept his personal life hidden. From 1935 to 1938, Grant got married to Sara Sherman Maxon which brought up several questions as his friends claimed the marriage was a mistake.

Grant Wood was thought to be a closeted homosexual and there were attempts from a senior colleague who wanted to get him fired on moral grounds. Another critic, Janet Maslin claimed that Wood’s friends knew he was homosexual.

10. Grant Wood was an Avid Freemason

Grant Wood, “The American Golfer”. Author: Grant Wood on

With his influence across America and Europe, Grant Wood was well-known and was never shy to show off who he was. He was an avid Freemason and a Member of Mount Hermon Lodge #263[14] in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In 1921, Grant Received his 3^rd Degree as a Master’s Mason and decided to paint the First Three Degrees of Freemasonry. His Freemasonry endeavor was a major influence on his work as well as furthered his moral and ethical beliefs.