The House 

Miriam Schapiro made this work on paper entitled, The House, using mixed media. It seems deceptively simple at first glance, but look again. Schapiro was one of the leading figures of the Pattern and Decoration movement which challenged the minimalist aesthetic that dominated art institutions in the United States in the 1970s. This was a time when feminist artists critiqued the male-dominated art world, asking why art made by women was seen as somehow less serious than art made by men. Here, Schapiro explores the symbolic meaning of domestic space. The house depicted is a dream-like space, a personal sanctuary. The egg takes up much of the visual space. Perhaps, she's suggesting a woman's place is in the home but also the woman is a source of creativity. The work can be better understood by considering the many documents in the archives of the Pattern and Decoration movement held by several museums and universities. These help us better appreciate the social conditions that shaped this artwork.