Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” is perhaps the most famous American painting. The portrait of the balding, stern farmer, wearing round glasses, hayfork in hand, hatchet-faced woman at his side, has been reproduced and parodied countless times. Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor famously struck the American Gothic pose at the end of each episode of “Green Acres.” So did Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie in a promo for “The Simple Life.” Celebrities ranging from Bill and Hillary Clinton to Kermit and Miss Piggy have been depicted in American Gothic parodies.

This year, “American Gothic” turns 75. The painting has at different times been the object of ridicule, scorn and celebration. Harvard professor Steven Biel has written a new history of the painting that has become an icon of America.

In this radio diary, Biel gives us the story of Grant Wood’s “American Gothic.”

Guests:

Steven Biel, author of “American Gothic” and director of the History and Literature program at Harvard University