John McEwen is the art critic of the Sunday Telegraph.As art critic of the Spectator in the early 1908s he was among the most enthusiastic champion of Paula Rego's first solo exhibitions in England.His books include Glenkiln,the famous site of Henry Moore's outdoor sculptures,and John Bellany.
The monumentality and psychological drama of Paula Rego"s paintings have established her as one of the most important figurative painters of her generation. Her first retrospective exhibition in London in 1988, which brought together a range of her dramatically simplified paintings of the ambiguous relations of men, women and children, sent shock waves through the art scene on both sides of the Atlantic.
Rego"s view of the world as expressed in her work is a particularly female one. Germaine Greet has written of her: "It is not often given to women to recognize themselves in painting, still less to see their private world, their dreams,the insides of their heads, projected on such a scale and so immediately, with such depth and colour." In Paula Rego"s own words, it was the turn of the dog to tell its story.
This highly acclaimed book was first published in 1992,but since then, Rego has produced an impressive range of new work, including the Peter Pan etchings, the Dog Woman series and The Ostriches, which are illustrated and discussed in three new insightful chapters. Bringing together a wealth of paintings, prints and drawings alongside revealing documentary photographs, this book also features a revised chronology,bibliography and list of exhibitions, making it the most comprehensive work available on this singular artist.
Prologue THE BOGEYMAN
ONCE UPON A TIME
FIRST CONCLUSIONS
SCHOOL
SALAD DAYS
MARRIAGE
UPS AND DOWNS
BACK TO BASICS
DROPPING THE MASK
TALES FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY
PETER PAN
DOG WOMEN
THE OSTRICHES
Epilogue EVERY PICTURE TELLS HER STORY
Interview CRIVELLI"S GARDEN
Appendix Ⅰ PAULA REGO
Appendix Ⅱ INEVITABLE PROHIBITIONS
Notes
Chronology
List of Exhibitions
Bibliography
Index