Four years ago, Kate and I took our 15-year-old grandson, Brian, to Chicago. Among the places we visited was the Art Institute of Chicago. Knowing that this might not be among the most exciting places for him, we explained that we would not take a tour of the entire museum. Instead, I had found a brochure that identified about ten well-known pieces of art in the museum. This turned out to be an excellent way to engage him. Grant Wood’s American Gothic was among them. We told Brian that this was a painting he was likely to see in the future. When we said that, he recalled that one of the restaurants in Knoxville to which we had taken him has a print of it. Kate and I eat dinner at this restaurant rather frequently and always think of Brian when we see it. One of the jigsaw puzzles Kate works is American Gothic. Thus, it is a painting she sees quite often.
As with so many things, she has trouble remembering the painting’s name. Sometimes she gets “American,” but can’t remember Gothic. It seems to be prompted by seeing a print of the painting or the puzzle she is working on. A very typical experience occurred last night. She was working puzzles on her iPad and with sense of indecision asked, “American?” I said, “Gothic.” Then she repeated the full name. She looked down at her iPad and asked, “What is it again?” I told her again. This happened several times before she stopped. This is the way it always goes. I don’t think she ever gets more than American, and not always that, but she never stops trying.
