Grant Wood: A Portrait of Rural America Grant Wood, born on February 13, 1891, in Anamosa, Iowa—a small town steeped in the traditions of the Midwest—was not simply a painter; he was an interpreter. His life and art were inextricably linked to the landscape and people of his native region, shaping a distinctly American visual language that resonated with both pride and poignant melancholy. His early years on a farm instilled a deep c…