“Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere...” (Longfellow par. 1). These words by Longfellow seem to spring into the mind when looking at The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Grant Wood. Grant Wood’s painting presents an idealized portrayal of a well-known event in American history in a time when when America had lost its luster.
Upon first looking at the painting, the eye is drawn immediately to the church that stands in the foreground. The white church appears to be lit by moonlight giving it an ethereal appearance. The church is surrounded by houses that lie next to it on the road. In three of the houses, windows are lit, and in front of them in the street are pajama clad people that Revere is shouting …show more content…
His captivation with the event helped portray the ride in a unique way because Revere in not the central figure. Instead, Revere is small figure on the back of a horse; the road is the voice of the landscape, speaking eloquently of the inherent haste and importance of the mission. Wood’s appeal has a unique quality because “the capacity of his paintings to satisfy both viewers who celebrate nostalgia and those who treat the past with greater scepticism” (“Grant Wood: Gothic Revival” par. 10). As a result of the painting telling a story rather than portraying fact, there are both historical and scientific inaccuracies depicted. The first major inaccuracy is historical: the rider, Revere is most well-known, but there were two other riders in addition. Another inaccuracy is how light is portrayed. The moon must be exceptionally bright to illuminate the village in the way it does; in addition, the windows in the houses cannot be fully lit from candles. The historical source for the painting was Longfellow’s famous poem; this explains why the painting tells a story rather than relate the true facts of the ride. This does make it propaganda, rather Wood wants us to refocus on ideas embodied by the painting in a time of national
Upon first looking at the painting, the eye is drawn immediately to the church that stands in the foreground. The white church appears to be lit by moonlight giving it an ethereal appearance. The church is surrounded by houses that lie next to it on the road. In three of the houses, windows are lit, and in front of them in the street are pajama clad people that Revere is shouting …show more content…
His captivation with the event helped portray the ride in a unique way because Revere in not the central figure. Instead, Revere is small figure on the back of a horse; the road is the voice of the landscape, speaking eloquently of the inherent haste and importance of the mission. Wood’s appeal has a unique quality because “the capacity of his paintings to satisfy both viewers who celebrate nostalgia and those who treat the past with greater scepticism” (“Grant Wood: Gothic Revival” par. 10). As a result of the painting telling a story rather than portraying fact, there are both historical and scientific inaccuracies depicted. The first major inaccuracy is historical: the rider, Revere is most well-known, but there were two other riders in addition. Another inaccuracy is how light is portrayed. The moon must be exceptionally bright to illuminate the village in the way it does; in addition, the windows in the houses cannot be fully lit from candles. The historical source for the painting was Longfellow’s famous poem; this explains why the painting tells a story rather than relate the true facts of the ride. This does make it propaganda, rather Wood wants us to refocus on ideas embodied by the painting in a time of national