Introducing: American Regionalism

American Regionalism was an artistic movement that emerged in the 1930s. Following World War I, many American artists became disenchanted with Europe and its modernist art, and felt an increased sense of nationalism; these sentiments were exacerbated by the onset of the Great Depression. The Regionalist painters turned to rural, small town scenes and the American South as their subject matter. A number of artworks of the movement have become iconic symbols of the American 20th century, such as American Gothic by Grant Wood.