Two Americans

Although the two paintings were done at almost the same time in history they have quite a number of dissimilarities. Pallock's painting was an abstract painting in fact, it is believed that Pallock did his painting in a drunken state and he simply dripped paint on the canvas using a stick. The painting reflected the notion that was prevalent at his time as nature was considered to be a disorderly mess by many people.  While one may easily jump to the conclusion that Pallock’s work was just a doodle that had no meaning, experts suggest otherwise. When the painting was subjected to a computer for analysis, it was actually realized that the painting was an intricate design of nature. It is this that led to the painting being termed as an “order in chaos” (Taylor, 2002).

            One of the most interesting findings in the analysis of the painting of Pallock was the fractal patterns (Halsal, 2008). Given that the painting was done in 1950, this was a remarkable discovery since Pallock was painting the fractal pattern a quarter a century before they were even discovered. To make sure that their finding was not a mere coincidence, the experts subjected the painting to an even closer scrutiny. To their utter amazement, the pattern was replicated all through the painting. It was this discovery that led the experts to suggest that indeed, art can be used as one of the accurate predictions of history

            The American gothic, which is one of the most famous of paintings, is a painting that is neatly and orderly done Art Institute of (Art Institute of Chicago, 2004). One doesn’t need to gaze at the painting for a long time before he can make out what the artist was painting. The painting is quite clear as it is a picture of a man standing next to a woman a fork in his hand. One of the most obvious impressions that the painting will make is that the man and the woman are wearing very gloomy or maybe scared faces. It is worth noting that the painting was done during the great depression. The fork in the hand probably reveals that the man is a farmer and the two are probably worried due to the hard economic times.

            One of the most important differences that can be spotted in the two paintings is the fact that the Autumn Rhythm has been thought to be a painting of the future since it painted phenomena that had not yet been unveiled. The fractal patterns that were discovered in Pallock's painting were to be discovered twenty five years later after he had done his painting. On the other hand, the American Gothic can be said to be a painting of the present. Grant Wood captures the mood of his present day in the painting. The great depression was a time of great disillusionment for business man and farmer alike and there was a lot of uncertainly.  Wood’s painting clearly reveals these themes as seen in the gloomy faces of the man and the woman (Biel, 2008).

American spirit

            Even though the paintings are different in different ways, the artists lived around the same time and it is this reason that makes the artists reveals some similarity in their works. Both paintings were done at the back drop of the great depression. Pallock's Autumn Rhythm can be viewed as a representation of the chaotic scene that existed. In the same way that one could not decipher what exactly was on the artist’s minds, the great depression was a time of confusion and people were unsure of their destiny (O'Meally and Robert, 1998). They didn’t know what to make of the current crisis and whether they would survive I tor not. This same mood is capture by Wood. He paints a picture of a hopeless couple. The woman is standing seemingly afraid behind the man while the man stands with a blank stare with a fork in hand. It appears like the man is wondering a bout the harvest that never was.

References

Art Institute of Chicago. (2004). Grant Wood American, 1891-1942. Art Access. Retrieved 15^th   November, 2010 from http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring05/005912.htm

Biel S. (2006). American Gothic. American Gothic: A Life of America's Most Famous Painting.     New York: W W Norton & Co Inc.

Halsal, F. (2008) Systems of Art: Art History and Systems Theory. Berlin: International       Academic Publishers

O'Meally & Robert G. (1998). The Jazz Cadence of American Culture. New York:             Columbia University Press.

Taylor, R. (2002). Order in Pollock’s Chaos. Retrieved 15^th November, 2010 from

http://pages.uoregon.edu/msiuo/taylor/art/scientificamerican.pdf