Bourgeois was in touch with the surrealist artists and used certain surrealistic elements in her work, but she cannot be associated to this style. In "Femme-Maison"[1] she deconstructs a woman in surrealistic ways – the body exposing its primary and secondary characteristics definitely is female. The woman's vulva is emphasized by color and symbolized by an oval object with a vaginal slit. The manner in which the vulva is depicted reminds the viewers of the archaic vulva icons. On the right side next to the female body the oval object is reproduced in floral way. The object remembering an egg or a germ cell is floating detached from the body. Instead of a head, the female body carries a house. Headless women are omnipresent in Bourgeois' oeuvre, the house can be interpreted in different ways. So it might stand for the woman's domestic duties or for her role as wife and mother as supposed by the society. The strength of the façade and its color make the viewer feel isolated and confined. Due to the lacking identity and without contact organs, such as eyes and hands,[2] the woman is in need of help. Through this work Louise Bourgeois calls into question femininity and her roles predefined by the society.

Biografie: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Bourgeois

(Translation: K. Seifter)