Grant Wood was an American painter best known for his paintings depicting life in the rural American Midwest, most especially the painting American Gothic. After studying art and painting in Europe for several years, Wood returned to his home state of Iowa and began to appreciate his homeland, its uniqueness and its people. When artists create work that is inspired by a particular place or part of a country, it is an art style known as, Regionalism. Wood was one of the first American artists to paint in this style. Wood was an active painter from an extremely young age until his early death, and although he is best known for his paintings, he worked in a large number of mediums, including printmaking, ink, charcoal, ceramics, metal, wood and found objects. Throughout his life he hired out his talents to many Iowa-based businesses. This included painting advertisements, promotional flyers and, in one case, designing the corn-themed decor (including chandelier) for the dining room of a hotel. Wood also helped found the Stone City Art Colony near his hometown to help artists get through the Great Depression. He became a great proponent of regionalism in the arts, giving lectures throughout the country on the topic.
