Paula Rego Review: Intimate Drawings Reveal Tales of Female Oppression at Victoria Miro
The Victoria Miro gallery in London hosts the largest exhibition to date of drawings by the late Portuguese-born artist Paula Rego. Curated by her son, Nick Willing, the showcase features works on paper spanning from the 1950s until Rego’s death in 2022. The review highlights how these drawings, created with pencil, pastel, pen, and ink, possess an intuitive emotional touch that arguably surpasses her paintings. The artworks explore mischievous, moving, and troubled narratives centered on female oppression, reflecting Rego’s personal experiences under the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal and her subsequent life in Britain. Key pieces include responses to the 1998 abortion referendum in Portugal and reinterpretations of biblical and literary figures like Mary and Jane Eyre. The critic emphasizes Rego’s ability to convey profound feeling through subtle gestures and expressions rather than explicit violence, noting the enduring power of her detailed studies. This exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the artist’s evolution and her fierce resistance against patriarchal repression through intimate and powerful visual storytelling.
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Paula Rego Review: Intimate Drawings Reveal Tales of Female Oppression at Victoria Miro
The Victoria Miro gallery in London hosts the largest exhibition to date of drawings by the late Portuguese-born artist Paula Rego. Curated by her son, Nick Willing, the showcase features works on paper spanning from the 1950s until Rego’s death in 2022. The review highlights how these drawings, created with pencil, pastel, pen, and ink, possess an intuitive emotional touch that arguably surpasses her paintings. The artworks explore mischievous, moving, and troubled narratives centered on female oppression, reflecting Rego’s personal experiences under the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal and her subsequent life in Britain. Key pieces include responses to the 1998 abortion referendum in Portugal and reinterpretations of biblical and literary figures like Mary and Jane Eyre. The critic emphasizes Rego’s ability to convey profound feeling through subtle gestures and expressions rather than explicit violence, noting the enduring power of her detailed studies. This exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the artist’s evolution and her fierce resistance against patriarchal repression through intimate and powerful visual storytelling.
The Guardian