Sitting Behind the Eight Ball

Grant Wood

I’ve been involved with a forum that learns about Grant Wood this year. It’s a wonderful opportunity to dig deep into Wood’s art and life. The experts are phenomenal and I’ve learned a lot. One book that is particularly insightful is Grant Wood’s Secrets by Sue Taylor.

What I find particularly interesting is how art critics interpret his work which always has a lot of sexual innuendo. Recently I’ve written a few ekphrastic responses to his work.

Here is a nonet I wrote which is in response to Grant Wood’s painting Stone City, 1930. Stone City is a place I loved to take my out-of-state friends when attending Mt. Mercy. The Wapsipinicon flows through the town so I probably should have added the Wapsi in it, but I failed.

Here’s a link to the painting: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/stone-city-1930-grant-wood.html?product=art-print&googleShopping=true&completeProductSku=artworkid%5B26368774%5D-productid%5Bprint%5D-imagewidth%5B8%5D-imageheight%5B6%5D-paperid%5Barchivalmattepaper%5D&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx6ugBhCcARIsAGNmMbhzYp0Vb2Uw1xNKI6sXZEMs0k_wjyLJ4QFVULuhhdEuJ4j0rjEokJ4aAl8cEALw_wcB

Jewel of Jones County
Ekphrastic nonet response to Grant Woods’ Stone City, Iowa, 1930 painting

gold luscious breasts adorned with green trees 
curve above the peaceful village 
etched with red-rich barns, neatly
tended gardens, flowing
green-blue stream, tranquil
Jones County farms─
perfect place
to call
home

Barb Edler, 10 March 2023

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Barb Edler
Hello, I am a retired English teacher. I live along the Mississippi River and enjoy watching birds, the river, and nature in general. Writing for me is a gateway to healing, and I love to wrestle words in hopes of capturing an emotion or image others may relate.
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6 responses to “Grant Wood”

  1. Glenda Funk Avatar
    Glenda Funk

    Barb,
    Of course the Grant Wood painting I know best is American Gothic. I’ve seen it, too, which is a real treat. I love both your nonet and the Wood painting, and the class (sessions) on Wood sound fascinating. I don’t think Idaho has any famous artists of Wood’s stature. I also love parodies of American Gothic. I had one in my home for many years; it featured two Native Americans with the caption: “Our land is your land. At least it turned out that way.”

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Glenda, your gothic meme speaks the truth!

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  2. kimhaynesjohnson Avatar
    kimhaynesjohnson

    Barb, your etheree is a beautiful way to depict the beauty in the painting. I am always curious about the innuendo and art deco shapes when I look at art – -I’m forever looking for where it is, since so much art is filled with it. It makes it kind of fun to play I spy.

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  3. Maureen Young Ingram Avatar
    Maureen Young Ingram

    Those hills really are ‘gold luscious breasts’ – with the trees forming a ‘decoulette’ neckline, I think, lol. Your poem made me look more deeply at Grant Woods’ painting, and wonder – was he making a statement of any sort, having a woman surround the town, almost protecting it? What a fun combination – poetry in response to art! I must try this.

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Thanks, Maureen. I hope you do try ekphrastic. I love it, and really those hills do look like breasts in my opinion.

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  4. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    That is really interesting, Barb, about the sexual innuendos. I wonder how they figure. I do see the breasts here too. I like Maureen’s idea of a woman surrounding the town. My favorite line in your etheree is the village “etched with red-rich barns”

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