Painting,+Drawing,+and+Quilting

This oil painting, by Faith Ringgold, is entitled //The American People Series #1: Between Friends// (1963). It addresses issues of race as well as gender, and was the first in a long line of paintings, each one part of the //American People Series//, that made up a kind of painted story quilt. (Each painting is supposed to represent another patch on the quilt)



This collage, by artist Miriam Schapiro, is called //Kimono// (1976). Through her work, Schapiro tried to bridge the gap betwene art and craftswork. Her creations were often bluntly political, but not in this case: here, the image of the kimono does not have an obvious political message, but instead gently hints at a new kind of symbolism for its meaning (as well as the meaning of various other modes of dress) as it relates to male/female relations and gender roles.



This gouache and ink painting, by Nancy Spero, uses quick, violent, deliberate strokes to represent the cruelty and senselessness of war. While many of her other works of art are more feminist-centered, this one, is part of her famous //War Series// (1966-1972) and thus is better known.