Paula Rego's secret life as a cow-skulled scarecrow artist revealed through her collaboration with Martin McDonagh.
In 2004, the renowned Portuguese-British artist Paula Rego was inspired by McDonagh's play The Pillowman after seeing it at London's National Theatre and discovering an affinity for its themes of cruelty, beauty, and humor. Rego had been looking to explore her artistic practice in a new direction, drawing from scenarios she assembled with her assistant Lila Nunes.
Rego focused on creating a body of work known as the McDonagh series - four stories drawn from McDonagh's play about writers facing torture and murder at the hands of children. One story stands out for its dark, unsettling imagery: that of a forest full of babies crying to their abandoned mother.
According to Rego's own account, this painful personal experience, coupled with trauma inflicted by an industrialist father, fueled some of her most striking work on this project. Her paintings explore the theme of suffering and pain, drawing parallels between McDonagh's dark imagination and her own life experiences as a woman with a troubled past.
Rego drew from these stories to create powerful artworks - one depicts a sleeping girl next to the decapitated head of a pig she had once befriended, symbolizing the guilt that followed her family's loss. In another piece, Rego represents the scarecrow as a crucified woman whose skull is fashioned into a cow's – a haunting representation of life and death set against the backdrop of a burning sky.
Paula Rego's unique blend of style and storytelling brings these works to vivid life - as if they were drawn directly from her own memories, or perhaps even inspired by McDonagh's dark imagination. Through this artistic collaboration, both artists reveal an uncanny understanding of each other's obsessions and fears - each work drawing closer to a profound understanding of the human condition.
Rego went on to create thousands more artworks during these years of intense creative output – her entire body of work during that time will be exhibited in London from November 2023, at Cristea Roberts Gallery.
In 2004, the renowned Portuguese-British artist Paula Rego was inspired by McDonagh's play The Pillowman after seeing it at London's National Theatre and discovering an affinity for its themes of cruelty, beauty, and humor. Rego had been looking to explore her artistic practice in a new direction, drawing from scenarios she assembled with her assistant Lila Nunes.
Rego focused on creating a body of work known as the McDonagh series - four stories drawn from McDonagh's play about writers facing torture and murder at the hands of children. One story stands out for its dark, unsettling imagery: that of a forest full of babies crying to their abandoned mother.
According to Rego's own account, this painful personal experience, coupled with trauma inflicted by an industrialist father, fueled some of her most striking work on this project. Her paintings explore the theme of suffering and pain, drawing parallels between McDonagh's dark imagination and her own life experiences as a woman with a troubled past.
Rego drew from these stories to create powerful artworks - one depicts a sleeping girl next to the decapitated head of a pig she had once befriended, symbolizing the guilt that followed her family's loss. In another piece, Rego represents the scarecrow as a crucified woman whose skull is fashioned into a cow's – a haunting representation of life and death set against the backdrop of a burning sky.
Paula Rego's unique blend of style and storytelling brings these works to vivid life - as if they were drawn directly from her own memories, or perhaps even inspired by McDonagh's dark imagination. Through this artistic collaboration, both artists reveal an uncanny understanding of each other's obsessions and fears - each work drawing closer to a profound understanding of the human condition.
Rego went on to create thousands more artworks during these years of intense creative output – her entire body of work during that time will be exhibited in London from November 2023, at Cristea Roberts Gallery.
I've always loved her art but I had no idea she was exploring this dark theme of cruelty and beauty through McDonagh's play The Pillowman. Her story is so inspiring, I mean who wouldn't be driven to create after experiencing trauma like that? 
It makes me realize how much more we need to talk about mental health and the impact it has on our art 
I mean, can you even imagine creating a piece like that based on your own childhood pain? It's no wonder these works are so powerful, they're like she's tapping into the deepest, darkest corners of our collective human psyche 
. I need to see this exhibition in London ASAP, my mind is blown by the sheer depth and emotion of these artworks 
. Rego's entire body of work from that time period needs to be seen, it's like a masterclass in emotional storytelling 
...
I mean, can you imagine having a dark past like Paula Rego's and then channelling it into art? It's crazy how some experiences can spark so much creativity... 
she must have been going through some pretty heavy stuff to create all those intense pieces about suffering and pain 
. And that cow-skulled scarecrow artist thing tho, what even is up with that? 
. Like, is it even healthy for an artist to be drawing from their trauma and pain on such a massive scale? And what's with all these babies crying in the forest? Is this some kind of commentary on the state of society or something? 
... I don't know, maybe I'm just not getting the full picture here. Anyway, can't wait to check out her exhibit in London though - my wallet might hate me tho 
she had been hiding this dark side for so long... the way she uses cow skulls as a scarecrow is literally giving me nightmares 
. Her collaboration with Martin McDonagh is like, totally genius 
- it's like they're speaking the same language or something.
.
. I need to see this exhibition in London ASAP!
? Or is that just my own interpretation? Either way, I think this collaboration is a great reminder that art can be a powerful tool for exploring tough issues and sparking conversations 
like I'm totally obsessed with Paula Rego's art!!! I was low-key familiar with Martin McDonagh but never connected the dots between them until now... can you imagine having a traumatic experience fuel your art? 
i feel like she's speaking directly to me through her art. The way she explores suffering and pain in her paintings is like... whoa. I need to see this exhibit ASAP 
Like, who knew she had a dark side... and it's not just the cow-skulled scarecrow art