Paula Figueiroa Rego is a renowned Portuguese painter, printmaker and an illustrator. Born in 1935, in a Portuguese upper middle class family, Paula Rego was exposed to all types of comforts. Her father was an engineer and was an ardent admirer of England. During that period Salazar's regime prevailed in Portugal, which had a great influence on her later works and paintings.
Paula Rego had her schooling from St. Julian's School, Carcavelos in Portugal. Later on she was sent to the Slade School of Art in England. In the art school under the guidance of William Coldstream, Paula Rego worked in the privileged company of many budding artists like Craigie Aitchison, Euan Uglow, and her future husband Victor Willing. Later on they had made an indelible impression on the British art scene with their work.
Paula Rego's introduction to Printmaking
Anthony Gross in the Slade School first introduced Paula Rego to the art of printmaking in the year 1954. Gross's influence is evident in her early works like the linear composition of 'The Bull Fight'. In this work engraved and etched lines were extensively used.
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Bartolomeu dos Santos, introduced her to the technique of aquatint. She had also used this technique in her small prints titled 'Two Monkeys and The Nightmare'.
Paula Rego and her works
Rego was a storyteller and a stylish draughtsman of extraordinary caliber. Her work includes the cut, paste and painted collages of the 1950s and 60s, and the animal paintings of the 80s. Many of her paintings depict her childhood days in Portugal. The paintings are a journey down the memory lane, and Rego seems to revisit and reclaim the bygone days through her work. Most of her paintings relate family relationships and their various complexities. The Maids (1987), The Fitting (1989) and Celestena's House are the noted works of Paula Rego, which have been appreciated by all. 'Dancing Ostriches' (1995) is considered to be a masterpiece.
Printmaking was the most preferred form of expression for Paula Rego. Night Stories exhibited Paula Rego's ability to paint with aquatint. The Nursery Rhyme etchings of Paula Rego established her as one of the best graphic artists of all times. Paula Rego is one of the most celebrated artists and printmakers of her times.
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