Paula Rego's art has long been characterized by its unflinching and often brutal portrayal of the human condition. A recent exhibition at Cristea Roberts Gallery in London has shed new light on one of her most personal and provocative series: those inspired by Martin McDonagh's play, The Pillowman.
Rego's story with McDonagh began when she attended a performance of the play at the National Theatre in 2004. After being deeply moved by its exploration of torture, imagination, and the power of storytelling, Rego wrote to McDonagh seeking permission to name some pictures after his work. Her initial letters were enthusiastic and childlike, reflecting her identification with the play's themes of brutality, beauty, and humour.
The Pillowman is set in a totalitarian state where people's imagination is ruthlessly policed. Rego, who was born into a family of industrialists in Portugal, drew heavily from her own experiences of growing up under Salazar's dictatorship to inform this work. Her letters to McDonagh reveal a sense of kinship with the play, and she has since made several life-size dolls inspired by it.
A fascinating aspect of Rego's collaboration with McDonagh is the way in which their relationship was built on a foundation of shared experience. As Willing notes, Rego's story with McDonagh spanned several decades, from her early 20s to his mid-30s, and included several personal stories that were deeply traumatic – including her experiences of backstreet abortions and the failure of her husband's electronics business.
One particular story drawn from McDonagh's archive is the tale of a forest where babies call out to their aborted mothers in desperation. In Rego's response, this narrative is distilled into two paintings that explore the themes of guilt, shame, and personal responsibility. The works are characteristically raw and unsettling, capturing Rego's unflinching gaze on the human condition.
Rego has long been known for her ability to tap into universal experiences – in this case drawing heavily from a combination of her own life experience and McDonagh's stories to create some of her most compelling work.
Rego's story with McDonagh began when she attended a performance of the play at the National Theatre in 2004. After being deeply moved by its exploration of torture, imagination, and the power of storytelling, Rego wrote to McDonagh seeking permission to name some pictures after his work. Her initial letters were enthusiastic and childlike, reflecting her identification with the play's themes of brutality, beauty, and humour.
The Pillowman is set in a totalitarian state where people's imagination is ruthlessly policed. Rego, who was born into a family of industrialists in Portugal, drew heavily from her own experiences of growing up under Salazar's dictatorship to inform this work. Her letters to McDonagh reveal a sense of kinship with the play, and she has since made several life-size dolls inspired by it.
A fascinating aspect of Rego's collaboration with McDonagh is the way in which their relationship was built on a foundation of shared experience. As Willing notes, Rego's story with McDonagh spanned several decades, from her early 20s to his mid-30s, and included several personal stories that were deeply traumatic – including her experiences of backstreet abortions and the failure of her husband's electronics business.
One particular story drawn from McDonagh's archive is the tale of a forest where babies call out to their aborted mothers in desperation. In Rego's response, this narrative is distilled into two paintings that explore the themes of guilt, shame, and personal responsibility. The works are characteristically raw and unsettling, capturing Rego's unflinching gaze on the human condition.
Rego has long been known for her ability to tap into universal experiences – in this case drawing heavily from a combination of her own life experience and McDonagh's stories to create some of her most compelling work.
I'm so fascinated by Paula Rego's art, it's like she's staring straight at your soul! Her collab with Martin McDonagh is super interesting, especially since they bonded over their shared experiences growing up in a totalitarian state. It's crazy how her letters to him were so enthusiastic and childlike, yet still reflected this deep connection to his work. 
she's so deep and raw, i mean her art just speaks 4 itself no need 2 say anything 
she's got this way of tapin into our humanity and showin us the ugly truth but also makin it beautiful in a sick kinda way 
i love how she drew from martin mcdonagh's work, it's like they were meant 2 be together or somethin 
rego just gets it, u know? she's not afraid 2 get real and messy and show us the parts of life we'd rather ignore 
...Paula Rego's story w/ Martin McDonagh is actually really inspiring 
...her dolls r so creepy & raw @ the same time 
...i love how she took McDonagh's stories & turned them into these powerful paintings that still make ppl uncomfortable today 
...anywayz, gotta respect her for bein honest about thier own pain 
. those paintings that explore guilt, shame, and personal responsibility? 
they give me chills every time. i can see why they're so raw and unsettling - it's like she's staring you right in the eye 
. rego's ability to tap into universal experiences is def one of her strengths 
. i can only imagine how raw and emotional those paintings must be to create, especially given rego's personal experiences during salazar's dictatorship 
I'm not surprised she got so close to McDonagh, sounds like a toxic relationship if you ask me. Like, who gets into a decades-long friendship with someone after getting moved by their play? Sounds like she was super invested in his drama and maybe even used it as an escape from her own problems 
. And that he just shares all these personal stories with her without any boundaries... I mean, what's to stop him from manipulating her into creating art that's just a reflection of his own trauma? 
and I'm totally stoked! Her connection to Martin McDonagh's play, The Pillowman, is so deep it's like she's tapping into our collective humanity 
. I mean, who wouldn't be moved by a story about torture, imagination, and the power of storytelling? 
. And can we talk about how cool it is that Rego drew from her own experiences growing up under Salazar's dictatorship to create this work? 
. I'm totally here for more of Rego's unflinching gaze on the human condition – it's like she's speaking directly to my soul 
!
... it's like she's putting herself out there, exposing her own vulnerabilities for all to see. And that's what makes her art so powerful, you know? It's not just about creating something beautiful (although, let's be real, those paintings are STUNNING 
. I love how she taps into these universal themes, making you feel like you're looking at your own life in the paintings 
- both of them are all about exploring the darker corners of human nature. It's like they're speaking the same language, you know? 
she drew from her own experiences growing up under Salazar's dictatorship & her relationship with McDonagh was so intense 
their bond was built on trauma & shared pain but in the end they created something TRULY BEAUTIFUL 
her dolls are insane, life-size and creepy as hell 
Plus, what makes her use of the same narrative device (the forest) in two different paintings so not suspiciously calculated? 
like what even is that kind of trauma? anyway can we talk about how this exhibit sheds light on rego's own experiences growing up under salazar's dictatorship? that part of her story is so fascinating
. I mean, can you imagine being in a situation where your imagination is policed and your creativity is suppressed? 
... like, it was literally sitting on the counter, watching with this curious expression... and then it jumped up onto the stove, as if thinking it could help stir the pot 
. My friend has this silly habit where she does this same thing when cooking - it's adorable 