Explode 1972

Miriam Schapiro made "Explode" with fabric and paint, and it feels like a joyful collision of worlds. The way she uses these materials, it’s less about a smooth surface and more about a process, an event. There’s this central burst of yellows and whites, kind of chaotic but also focused, like a sun going supernova. Then, all around, these patterned fabrics, little domestic explosions of their own, held together by a strong red ground. Look at how some edges are clean-cut while others fray—it’s like she's playing with control and chance, a bit like a jazz improvisation. It reminds me a little of the way that Hannah Höch, the Dada collage artist, used to work, grabbing images from all over and smashing them together. Schapiro, though, adds this layer of domesticity, of 'women's work,' and blows it up, literally. This piece isn't just pretty; it's a statement, an ongoing conversation.