Lately, I have been pondering “the personal story” and how it relates to art and how it relates to life. I was looking through an art book about the artist Grant Wood, most famously known for his painting “American Gothic.” This painting never really spoke to me, but so many of his other paintings do, especially the painting titled “Adolescence.” In this painting, Wood, shows an awkward adolescent chicken, with few feathers, sitting between two smug auntie chickens. The grown chickens have disdainful expressions that increase the loneliness and angst of the teenage chicken. The teenage chicken is all gangly and has lost all its downy childhood feathers. The naked chicken skin looks almost painful with the new feathers starting to poke through. Far in the background there is a farmhouse. It is still dark outside, but the morning star shines brightly. There is just a hint of dawn.
Although, I do not have any direct experience with 1930’s farm life in the Midwest, I could relate to the painting. The painting told a story that expressed feelings experienced by most, if not all adolescents—awkwardness, loneliness and uncertainty. Sometimes the feeling of being trapped. It tells much more. It has something for everyone viewing it. It relates to common humanity. It relates to anyone going through some sort of transition. It also tells a story of increased isolation, when the grown chickens around do not remember their own common humanity.
This painting exemplified a personal story that left me feeling satisfied. It brought home the idea that a good personal story taps into a broader narrative that is common to most people.
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