Pas de Deux 1986

Miriam Schapiro created “Pas de Deux” using fabric and paint to develop her own understanding of collage. As a leader in the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970s, Schapiro was part of a generation that was determined to challenge the male-dominated art world. In “Pas de Deux”, Schapiro uses the traditional female craft of sewing to create a visual language of abstraction. The “femmage” becomes a defiant act, a way to reclaim artistic space by incorporating the domestic arts. The figures are dancing together, but they are not whole, which leads me to consider: What is the relationship between the dancers? Are they dancing in unison or against each other? Schapiro said she was trying to “use everything that I knew about my life as a woman, and my history and my feelings, into the work.” Through this piece, Schapiro honors female creativity, while using materials associated with femininity to create a powerful statement about art, identity, and the politics of representation.