The term 'American Gothic' refers to the painting style associated with the works of Grant Wood, an American artist who lived between 1892-1942. One of Grant Wood's painting is named 'American Gothic.' Therefore, this term is most commonly used to refer to that painting in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting shows a farmer with a pitchfork standing near his spinster daughter in the background of an American Gothic house. According to Grant Wood, it is the architecture of the small house that persuaded him to paint American Gothic.