Painter Paula Rego dies

Paula Rigo, the Portuguese painter and plastic artist known for her disturbing works that mix surprising realism with childish tales, died in her home on June 8 at the age of 87.

Sadly, we learned of the death of Paula Rego. The Musée de l’Orangerie remembers with fondness the exhibition “Les contes cruels de Paula Rego” which it dedicated to this outstanding artist with a symbolic, literary, decisive and unique work. pic.twitter.com/X1iWj93Spw

MuseeOrangerie June 8, 2022

Paulo Rego was born on January 26, 1935 in Lisbon. Then she was barely one year old, her parents left her in the care of her grandmother until she was three years old. She is the one who reads him traditional folk tales, which she will then introduce into her work. In 1951, she left for England to study art. In 1958, she was the first woman to join the London group, along with Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, and David Hockney.

If she draws and paints at a young age, then her style develops until the 80s, she masterfully practices various plastic tools: engraving, pastel, drawing, painting, sculpting. The style he ended up investing in is extreme realism, specific to the group from London, with a share of Baroque, closer to traditional Portuguese art and surrealist inspiration. Its themes are drawn from children’s stories, literature or the world of cinema (Disney in particular). She creates a fantasy world in the harsh colors of delicate elk where vivid models, adorable creatures and models mix.

Rest in power, Paula Rego. #art
Paula Rigo. 2003. The War. oil on canvashttps://t.co/25cu5765cU pic.twitter.com/94LEzzHqaX

—Dan Graur (@DanGraur) June 9, 2022

His works generally deal with the theme and cruelty of childhood, and sometimes with autobiographical texts. His work is disturbing in part because of the inconsistent gestures of the protagonists (threatening or protective?). She also deals with the female case with representations of extraordinary women: murderous young girls, witches or even a woman in the status of a fierce dog in the disturbing series. dog. Art historian Germaine Greer wrote, “No other artist has come so close to the Phantasmagoria that is truly feminine as Rigo.” If Paula Rego does not consider herself a firm feminist, she nevertheless took part in this movement making her art resolutely political while rejecting the legalization of abortion in Portugal in 1998. In reaction to this news, she represents women who practice clandestine abortion, reflecting the brutality and riskyness of this practice. out.