Eurydice, 1972
Miriam Schapiroexpand_more
Acrylic and fabric collage ("femmage") on canvasexpand_more
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fund, by exchangeexpand_more 2020.79
Not on Viewexpand_more
Eurydice brings together two critical aspects of Miriam Schapiro’s practice in a visually spectacular way. Schapiro, a leading figure in feminist art, had been an active abstract painter and was known in the 1950s for her energetic gestural paintings. That fluidity with paint is evident in the center of the painting, which seems to be on fire with color. Surrounding this central opening—a reference to the female form—are collaged fragments of fabric that Schapiro constantly collected. She called this combination of paint and fabric “femmage” (feminist collage) as an explicit nod to the female, even matriarchal origins of the materials she used.
Schapiro’s title alludes to a character in Greek mythology, Eurydice, whose husband, the musician and poet Orpheus, enters Hades and attempts to rescue her from death. Long a subject of feminist revisionism, the tragic narrative has been transformed from one of victimhood to that of self-determination and resistance to male dominance.
Details
- Title
- Eurydice
- Artist Life
- American (born Canada), 1923 - 2015
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2020.79
- Curator Approved
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