OSKALOOSA — Grant Wood and Frank Lloyd Wright — two Midwestern artists, who lived concurrently, seemed never to have met, and, at first glance would have appeared to have widely divergent styles.

Wright, an architect from Wisconsin, came to be noted, during his 91 years, for his personal flamboyance and the sophistication of much of his design, and who gained the respect of the design world in his lifetime.

Grant Wood, the Iowa artist, was seldom seen in anything other than overalls. His subject matter was almost exclusively rural life, noted for its seeming simplicity. During his rather brief life, he was never taken seriously by the critics or the public, who did not seem to understand what came to be termed the Regionalist style.

Yet a commonality ties the two men, as was demonstrated by Roy Behrens, graphic instructor from the University of Northern Iowa. Behrens presented a lecture on the topic at the Oskaloosa Public Library Thursday as part of the Food for Thought noon lecture series.

One of the simplest design elements, line, was used by both men to achieve results that have made their works endure.

There was a revival during the 18th century, according to Behrens, of the Gothic style. When fire destroyed the Parliament building in London in 1830, it was rebuilt in this Gothic Revival style, which greatly helped boost its popularity. The most dominant feature of the style was the verticality — the heights of the buildings themselves, the long high windows in them, the spires and the flying buttresses, which not only helped support the massive walls, but also drew the eye upward. It was no coincidence that this architecture had, in its first incarnation, been seen primarily in cathedrals. The soaring heights were meant to direct the eye toward heaven, to inspire spirituality.

These gothic lines translated almost directly into Wood’s work. Perhaps the most famous example, according to Behrens, is the iconic “American Gothic.” Not only does the house in the picture feature the carpenter-gothic board and batten siding, where the exterior boards of the house run vertically, with the seams between boards covered with narrow batten strips. Centered in the peak of the roof is a narrow, pointed gothic window. Even the faces of the couple are long and narrow. (Wood took the liberty of elongating the face of his sister Nan, who posed for the picture.) The farmer holds a pitchfork whose tines accent the vertical seams in his overalls and stripes in his shirt. Another work where Wood chose to emphasize verticality completely outside the realm of architecture is entitled “Victorian Survival.” It is a portrait of an elderly woman whose neck he has arbitrarily elongated, a look designed to suggest a moral rectitude of almost stifling proportions.

Wright is known as the founder of the Prairie school of architecture, so named because of his origins in Wisconsin, his studio in Chicago and later studio at Springreen, Wis. Prairie style is noted for its wide, expansive lines, deep eaves, banks of windows and relatively low-pitched rooflines. This would seem to be a complete reaction to gothic lines, but, Behrens explained, what Wright did was take the verticality and turn it sideways. It had much the same impact — the strong architectural lines pull the eye the length of the building and create a feeling of expansiveness.

The spiritual element, Wright felt, came from the setting in which the structure was built. It should integrate into its setting. A classic example of this is the “Falling Water” house in Pennsylvania, incorporating rock ledges, and with a stream running through it.

Wright would insert accents of verticality, such as pieces of furniture which he, a protean designer, had also designed, into his homes. One example is a dining room table that had legs which extended up as pillars, topped with planters. The backs of chairs would often be closely-set long, narrow pieces of wood that extended all the way to the floor.

Simplicity is another feature common to both men. Wright’s clean, strong, simple lines were a reaction to the fussiness and artificiality that were hallmarks of Victorian design. Wright’s introduction to simple elements of design came from his mother. She had become familiar with the work of Freidrich Froebel, the German man who developed the concept of kindergarten. Until Froebel’s time, children were regarded as “miniature adults,” Behrens said, expected to go to work as soon as possible. Froebel believed they should be treated as little seedlings; that is, be nurtured and encouraged to grow. One way that Froebel chose to stimulate the children in his kindergarten was to give them simple, geometric objects to play with — the forerunners of Tinker Toys. Young Frank was given these also. (His son went on to develop Lincoln Logs.) Rural life, Wood’s most common theme, demanded by its very nature, basic simplicity. Both men took inspiration from Shaker design, noted for its clean, functional lines.

Which brings up another basic tenet of the men’s work — that form follows function. The phrase was authored by Wright, who believed each element of design should have a function, or it should not be an element. An object designed to function well with have its own inherent beauty. The rigorousness and austerity of the rural life that Grant knew also dictated that objects, be they clothing or farm tools, had to function effectively.

Wright also promoted a “grammar of design,” motifs that repeat throughout a building, for instance. He also believed that design should be organic; that each individual part should have a function but should also be part of a larger function — once again, an economy demanded by farm life.

Both men, Behrens said, understood the importance of line, design and form. This helped them create work that was pleasing to the eye, that functioned well, and ultimately, addressed the soul’s need for beauty and order.

Herald Staff Writer Sue Salisbury can be reached by email at salisburys@oskyherald.com