Portrait of Rosa Schapire
The woman sits unwilling and blue
Boxed into a corner by a chair and a red wall
Implicating you in her afflictions
Worn sharp and clean resting
In a pensive position: poised as if ready to leave
At a moments notice she is encircled with wrought waves
Gold curves just short of crossing
The sun past set on the water
She is the only bright moment left
Before you are engulfed
The only thing holding back darkness
She is dressed in bridal white
Suits adorned in a rose and strung beads
Everything that is hers emanates dark
She is your mother dressed up and dolled up
To be young again for a night that dwindles
Four red clouds watch you from behind
The sun is dripping away
And you are stuck painting a woman
That is not your mother
Rosa Schapire used her ground-breaking career in art history to advocate for socialist, feminist, and anti-fascist ideals across Europe in the twentieth century. Her family and education in her hometown of Galicia, Poland, introduced her to such ideals, and her studies took her around Europe. Schapire’s contributions to the art world were many, ranging from reviews and critiques to translations to amassing an impressive collection of German Expressionist work. She edited several journals and, along with fellow art patron and suffragette Ida Dehmel, helped to form the Women’s Society for the Advancement of German Art. After the rise of the Nazis and the death of many family members, Schapire fled to England, where many pieces of her collection are still housed in museums.