Shrine (for R.K.) II, 1963 

Miriam Schapiro created "Shrine (for R.K.) II" in 1963 using oil and graphite. In the early 1960s, Schapiro began creating hard-edge geometric paintings, influenced by her interest in technology, science, and mathematics. This painting presents us with a vertical, box-like structure set against a neutral background. The structure is divided into four compartments, each holding a symbolic object: at the top, an arched niche; below it, still life; then an egg; and finally, an empty rectangle. The egg, an archetypal symbol of fertility and potential, speaks to themes of creation and the feminine experience. Schapiro, a pioneering figure in the Feminist Art Movement, was deeply engaged with exploring the intersection of art, gender, and identity. Although this painting precedes her explicit feminist works, we can see how the intimate scale and symbolic language provide a space for personal reflection and subjective experience. Later, Schapiro would reclaim and celebrate women’s artistic traditions through “femmage,” but here she uses geometric abstraction to hint at the interiority of women’s lives. Consider how this combination of the personal and the formal invites us to contemplate the unspoken stories and hidden dimensions within seemingly simple forms.