Mid Century American reproduction print “July Fifteenth”
This mid century American reproduction print titled “July Fifteenth” is by Grant Wood.
Under a blazing sun, caught in the very fullness of summer, this Iowa landscape projects the very essence of fertility. Trees at full foliage, seeming to rock in an excess of honeyed sap, burgeoning fields, an unmistakable, if invisible, cloudless sky, a building all but swallowed up by the richness of nature-these are the portrait of America's most valuable wealth. No dust bowl here, no starved cattle or skulls bleaching on cracked surfaces!
Hardly likely to give the most ardent devotee of photographic realism even a passing twinge, Mr. Wood's portrait of Iowa in rich blossom is, in reality, a highly unrealistic picture. Not only are all forms simplified beyond the usual way of unaided nature, but the laws of gravity and perspective are flouted in the interest of the decorative scheme. It would, one can hardly doubt, have been possible to anyone so wishing to give a more accurate likeness of the scene Mr. Wood had in mind. But there can be no question that his perfectly legitimate artistic liberties with actuality are exactly the agents that have produced the quality-the essence of summer at the crest-at which he was aiming, and which he has so perfectly achieved.
Size: 12”W x 9”H
Condition: Vintage / Antique / Print in excellent condition with yellowing around the edges
Country of Origin: USA