Miró made this work, The Student, in honor of Professor Meyer Schapiro. Dr.Schapiro was a University Professor Emeritus at Columbia University, multidisciplinary critic and historian, galvanic teacher, and for more than 50 years, a pre-eminent figure in the intellectual life of New York. Schapiro was also an art historian known for forging new historical art methodologies that incorporated an interdisciplinary approach to studying works of art. He is credited with fundamentally changing the course of the art historical discipline. Schapiro’s scholarly approach was dynamic, engaging other scholars, philosophers, and artists. This approach lined up with Miro’s own beliefs. Professor Schapiro viewed abstract art as a significant leap forward in art because while the world had been transformed by modernization and industrialization, it offered access to different realms. He believed it was a critical stage in history because it communicated to the viewer the achievements of the individual in an era when industry and mass communication were the accepted norms.