The artwork named “Sultry Night,” created by Grant Wood in 1939, is a lithograph that belongs to the Regionalism art movement. This piece is classified under the genres of genre painting and nude painting (nu).
In the artwork, a solitary nude man is depicted in an outdoor rural setting. The man stands near an old-fashioned bathtub, in the act of dousing himself with water from a bucket held high above his head. The nakedness of the man and the act of pouring water over himself evoke a sense of refreshment and vulnerability against the backdrop of the expansive, structured landscape. In the distance, a solitary tree stands, and the inclusion of nature and rural elements invokes themes characteristic of Regionalism, emphasizing an ordinary scene from American life. The use of lithography and the fine detail in the depiction add to the stark authenticity and emotional depth of the scene.
