COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Paula Rego's Representation of Injustices Against Women
Creator:
Peña Haché, Gabriella Maria
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
"This thesis explores how Paula Rego's pastels Dog Woman (1994) and Untitled: The Abortion Pastels (1998–1999) address the injustice of women’s rights post-Portugal’s Estado Novo. Rego portrays the female body both in resistance and suffering, exposing the realities of patriarchal repression. Bringing awareness to women's marginalization and compels the viewers to confront female pain while depicting them fighting for their rights. Addressing socio-political issues such as the unsuccessful attempt to legalize abortion in 1998, Rego's art movingly illustrates the personal and societal chaos resulting from restrictive abortion laws. Advocating for a change, Rego later influenced the successful referendum in 2007 to legalize abortions. Using a feminist approach, this thesis examines how Rego's works critique patriarchy and function as a testimony of resistance." --Abstract
Keywords: abortion, Estado Novo, feminism, injustice, Paula Rego, women
Keywords: abortion, Estado Novo, feminism, injustice, Paula Rego, women
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2025-05
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 39 pages, color illustrations)