Grant Wood was an American painter born in 1891 and died in 1942. He is known for his depiction of rural life in the Midwest, especially in paintings such as "American Gothic", which is considered one of the most iconic paintings of 20th century America. The western half of America in 1930 was not so poetic and drowned in agricultural products. By the 1930s, agriculture in the United States was in decline, and lush fields turned into dry deserts. Native "realist" painters created such idealistic images as if they resembled surrealist works. The proof of creating such perfectionist works was to ignore the ruins of Europe and its progressive aesthetics, which of course was mostly to show off the honesty, kindness and pleasing simplicity of American art. Grant Wood, a simple boy from Iowa, taught himself many things and with his relatively perfect art, he went to Europe many times and studied in Paris for a while.