5 things we can learn from Paula Rego

Lessons in life and art

“Human beings have always felt the need to create and to leave their mark; even on cave walls they did it. Great art reveals something about us. It’s the best we can do.” — Paula Rego

Dear Readers! This instalment of ‘5 things we can learn from…’ is dedicated to the formidable Portuguese artist, Paula Rego (1935–2022).

Born in Lisbon, Rego was one of the foremost painters of the late 20th and early 21st century, creating powerful, unsettling, narrative-driven pictures that defy all convention (in subject, scale and style).

I’ve gathered some wisdom from this trailblazing artist below. Read on!

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1. Make a routine — with time for rest

Rego’s work days followed what sounds like the perfect routine. Age 79, in 2014, she described a typical day:

“Nowadays I try to start at 10.30 in the morning and carry on until 6.30 in the evening. I always have a rest after lunch. I’ve done that since I was a little girl growing up in Portugal. I eat two rice-cake sandwiches for lunch, full of salad, and a bit of ham or cheese, and an apple. I drink peppermint tea. When I have finished work for the day I enjoy one glass of champagne.”

The Artist in Her Studio, 1993

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2. Face your fears

Rego knew the power of art to help us process and exorcise demons — as she famously said, “I paint to give a face to fear”. When I spoke to her son, Nick Willing, on the GWA podcast, he told me that, as a kid, when he was scared or suffering, his mother would get him to draw fear — “she'd say to me, paint a picture of it. I want to see what it feels like.”

Angel, 1998

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3. Enjoy your work

Rego insisted on the importance of maintaining a sense of play and enjoyment when it came to work. “After a bit you discover that you have to play” she said. “You’ve got to be able to enjoy yourself doing it—it’s not duty.”

The Policeman’s Daughter, 1987

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4. Art can change things

Born in fascist Portugal, three years into Salazar’s dictatorship, Rego grew up in a time of extreme oppression for women. Her Untitled series (1998-9) depicts women undergoing unsafe abortions, and was created in the wake of Portugal’s failed referendum to legalise abortion, raising awareness for these dangerous procedures.

These images – full of truth, pain, and anguish – were used propagandistically during the successful referendum in 2007, to allow women access to safe abortions. The then-President stated they were key to having contributed to the outcome. 

On the series, Rego commented:

“They were important. It was thrilling to do those pictures, because they were true. Not nice or polite, but true.”