Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Arbor Day

Grant Wood, 1932

Name Class Date
Grant Wood, Arbor Day (1932). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Grant Wood originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/grant-wood/
Artist’s dates
1891 – 1942
Painted
1932
Movement
Regionalism American painters turning away from Europe to paint their own small towns and farmland.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Grant Wood died in 1942; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2012.

Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 12, 2026

Arbor Day — Grant Wood Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Arbor Day — Grant Wood

When was this painted?

  1. 1890
  2. 1900
  3. 1910
  4. 1920
  5. 1930
  6. 1940

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 51 at death.

Painted when the artist was 41. The artist lived to 51. 51 of the 96 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of Grant Wood (1891–1942) ▲ this work, 1932 every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1924 Main working years: 1924–1938 Late works: from 1938

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Phthalo Green #28160e

    Catalogued palette

    • #28160E
    • #796031
    • #A79668
    • #55381F

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Phthalo Green
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Balanced How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Grant Wood over the last twelve months — 66 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 France 17.5%12,900 visits
    2. 2 Italy 14.4%10,600 visits
    3. 3 Spain 10.4%7,700 visits
    4. 4 United States of America 8.3%6,100 visits
    5. 5 Japan 5.7%4,200 visits
    6. 6 Germany 5.2%3,800 visits
    7. 7 China 4.2%3,100 visits
    8. 8 South Korea 2.4%1,800 visits
    9. 9 Denmark 2.0%1,500 visits
    10. 10 Mexico 2.0%1,500 visits
    11. · 56 other countries 27.9%20,500 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Grant Wood

    1. 1 American Gothic, 1930 88.2%86,300 visits
    2. 2 Sketch for house in American Gothic, 1930 2.1%2,100 visits
    3. 3 Daughters of Revolution, 1932 1.3%1,300 visits
    4. 4 Spring in the Country, 1941 1.2%1,200 visits
    5. 5 Fall Plowing, 1931 1.1%1,100 visits
    6. 6 The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, 1931 0.4%400 visits
    7. 7 Spring In Town, 1941 0.4%400 visits
    8. 8 Osier, 1920 0.4%400 visits
    9. 9 Portrait of Nan, 1933 0.3%300 visits
    10. 10 The Appraisal, 1931 0.3%300 visits
    11. 11 Woman with Plants, 1929 0.3%300 visits
    12. 12 Arbor Day, 1932 this painting 0.3%300 visits
    13. 13 Family Doctor, 1940 0.3%300 visits
    14. 14 Tame Flowers, 1939 0.3%300 visits
    15. 15 Death on the Ridge Road, 1935 0.3%300 visits
    16. 16 The Product checker, 1925 0.2%200 visits
    17. 17 The Sentimental Folk Song, 1940 0.2%200 visits
    18. 18 Sultry Night, 1939 0.2%200 visits
    19. 19 The Birthplace of Herbert Hoover, 1931 0.1%100 visits
    20. 20 Plaid Sweater, 1931 0.1%100 visits

    Together these works take 98.0% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 98 works by this artist, of which 38 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 12 of them, with 0.3% of that attention (300 visits). The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 12, 2026

    Arbor Day — Grant Wood Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Grant Wood

    Born in Anamosa, United States of America

    Early Life and Career

    Grant DeVolson Wood, an American painter, was born on February 13, 1891, in rural Iowa. His life changed dramatically after the death of his father in 1901, when his mother relocated the family to Cedar Rapids. Wood began his artistic journey as an apprentice in a local metal shop before enrolling at the Handicraft Guild in Minneapolis in 1910—an art school notable for being run by women and focused on the Arts and Crafts movement.

    Artistic Influences and Style

    Wood’s art was deeply influenced by Jan van Eyck, the 15th-century Flemish master renowned for his precise and luminous technique. This meticulous clarity became a hallmark of Wood’s own style, best exemplified in his most celebrated work, American Gothic. As a leading figure in the American Regionalism movement—a style emphasizing the realistic depiction of rural and small-town America—Wood developed a uniquely American voice that combined European craftsmanship with Midwestern authenticity.

    Notable Works and Contributions

    American Gothic (1930): A defining image of 20th-century American art, often compared to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Edvard Munch’s The Scream for its cultural resonance. The Stone City Art Colony (1932): Founded by Wood near his hometown, the colony provided vital support for artists during the Great Depression. University of Iowa School of Art (1934–1941): As a teacher, Wood inspired a generation of artists to find beauty and meaning in the familiar landscapes of the American Midwest.

    Legacy and Later Life

    Grant Wood passed away on February 12, 1942, at the age of 51, due to pancreatic cancer. His estate was left to his sister, Nan Wood Graham—immortalized as the female figure in American Gothic. Today, his personal belongings and many of his works are preserved at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Wood’s devotion to portraying the dignity of everyday American life continues to influence artists and scholars worldwide.

    Where to read more

    • The artist Grant Wood originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/grant-wood/
    • Similar works More works to compare originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Arbor Day

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Wood, Grant. Arbor Day. 1932, https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/
    APA
    Wood, Grant (1932). Arbor Day [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/
    Chicago
    Grant Wood. Arbor Day. 1932. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/
    Harvard
    Wood, Grant (1932) Arbor Day. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/grant-wood-arbor-day-8XY5WP-en/

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 12, 2026

    Arbor Day — Grant Wood Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Arbor Day — Grant Wood

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Look back at American Gothic (1930), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    4. Regionalism: American painters turning away from Europe to paint their own small towns and farmland. Where can you see that in this work?
    5. Grant Wood was about 41 when this was made. What in it looks like the work of an artist at that stage?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 12, 2026

    Arbor Day — Grant Wood Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    How does "Arbor Day" by Grant Wood connect Regionalism to the artist's home country?

    "Arbor Day" connects the Regionalism movement with United States of America through its creator's birthplace.

    What was Grant Wood's age when "Arbor Day" was created?

    Grant Wood was 41 years old when creating "Arbor Day" in 1932. The age is computed from the artist's birth year, 1891.

    Is a high-resolution download of "Arbor Day" available?

    "Arbor Day" is available as a high-resolution digital image download, purchased directly on its Digital Image page.