Synopses & Reviews
Review
"In his absorbing and often funny cultural study, Steven Biel traces the life of a painting that most of us have seen countless times but haven't given much thought to . . . [he] persuasively shows how the multiple interpretations of the work's meanings reflect cultural shifts in American society." John McMurtrie
Review
"A slim but jam-packed record of critical reaction." Matthew Price
Review
A lively cultural history tracing the popular reception of Wood’s masterpiece that suggests how thoroughly the work has taken on a life of its own in the national imagination. . . . Biel argues persuasively that Wood's imaginative identification of Midwestern rectitude and repression with the American identity and character has become one of the work's most enduring legacies. . . . [A] rich, detailed portrait of a native masterpiece that is surely the most recognizable American artwork of the 20th century. --Glenn McNatt
Review
[Biel] writes with wit and broad knowledge. --Jeanine Basinger
Review
"[Biel] writes with wit and broad knowledge." Washington Post
Synopsis
"Masterful. . . . This is cultural studies at its best."--Chase Madar,
About the Author
Steven Biel is the executive director of the Mahindra Humanities Center and a senior lecturer on history and literature at Harvard University.