Paula Rego is an English artist born in 1935 whose work often features assertive feminist themes and folklore influences. She is known for depicting animals in human roles and situations in a cartoon-like style. In her later works, Rego adopted a more realistic style but sometimes retained animal references as seen in her 1990s Dog Woman series depicting women in canine poses. Clothing also plays an important role in her storytelling visuals, representing the dresses she wore as a child in Portugal.

1. Paula Rego
(English, 1935- )
Rego’s work often reflects an assertive feminism, colored by folk-themes.
Her style is often compared to cartoon illustration. As in cartoons, animals are
often depicted in human roles and situations. Her later work adopts a more
realistic style, but sometimes keeps the animal references — the Dog Woman
series of the 1990s, for example, is a set of pastel pictures depicting women in a
variety of dog-like poses (on all fours, baying at the moon, etc.).
Clothes play an important role in Rego's work, as pieces of her visual story-telling.
Many of the clothes worn by models and mannequins in her work are
representative of the frocks she wore as a child in Portugal. She has favored
pastels over oils for much of her career.