The Wallens , a digital painting by Ste- phen Shooster, is a modern take on the iconic painting American Gothic. The original painting depicts a farmer and his daughter standing in front of a farmhouse with a Gothic window. The farmer is holding a pitchfork. Shoost- er’s version replaces the pitchfork with a guitar and the farmer with his daughter, a folk music duo. The painting was created ad hoc in 2018 while Shooster visited a farmer’s co-op in Marquette, Michigan. The Wallens were playing an afternoon gig in the food court. He said he was inspired by their music and mostly their down-to- earth style. They announced they were recently married. He took a photo as the source, applying painterly strokes to make it iconic.
of a larger trend of artists using pop culture references to create new and innovative works. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons used pop culture imagery to challenge traditional no- tions of art and comment on consum- erism’s nature. Shooster’s illustration is a more subtle example of this trend, but it nonetheless shares the same goal of using art to reflect the current zeitgeist. The overall message of the painting is one of hope and resilience. The Wallens are standing strong in the face of the commercialization of American culture and are a reminder that folk music can still be a powerful force for good.
“This land is your land, this land is my land.”
- Woody Guthrie folk musician
The Wallens celebrates the American spirit and the importance of folk music, a fitting sentiment for a painting that depicts two folk artists in a modern but humble setting. Shooster’s painting can be seen as part
Artist Year Type
Grant Wood
1930
Oil on beaverboard
Dimensions 78 cm × 65.3 cm (30+3⁄4 in × 25+3⁄4 in) Location Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
THE WALLENS Digital Paint Marquette, Michigan
42
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