Free lecture on ?Looking Closer at Grant Wood?

ELDON ? The American Gothic House Center received funding from Humanities Iowa to host a free lecture of ?Looking Closer at Grant Wood: What Did He Do, and How Did He Do It?? by Roy Behrens at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Eldon Library Hall. 

The attention given to Wood?s most famous painting, ?American Gothic,? often prevents people from focusing on his other accomplishments. How was he trained? What influenced him? Who in turn did he influence? What did he achieve in his life?

Among the highlights are rare photographs of Wood, his students, and his contemporaries, accompanied by eyewitness stories about his creative process, his methods, his failings, his sense of humor and the growth of his basic beliefs about art.

Behrens is a professor of art at the University of Northern Iowa. He teaches graphic design and design history. He is an editor and writer for periodicals and books and his writings have been featured on ?Nova,? ?Equinox,? ?Living in Iowa? and BBC Radio.

His most recent books include ?COOK BOOK: Gertrude Stein, William Cook and Le Corbusier? and ?CAMOUPEDIA: A Compendium of Research on Art, Architecture and Camouflage.?

Humanities Iowa is a private, non-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.