Dimensions: support: 2126 x 2740 mm
Copyright: © Paula Rego | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Paula Rego’s enigmatic painting, "The Dance," captures a nocturnal scene, and the figures seem frozen, caught between joy and something more unsettling. What’s your interpretation of this spectral dance? Curator: It feels deeply personal, doesn't it? Like Rego's conjuring a memory, or perhaps a collective dream, thick with secrets. Notice how the moon hangs heavy, almost judging, and the dancers' faces – so individual, yet unified in their solemnity. What do you feel from their expressions? Editor: They seem haunted, maybe resigned? But I love the costumes, they give it an older world feel. Curator: Exactly! The past isn’t neatly packaged away; it dances with us, influencing every step. I love how she mixes the everyday with the mythical. A Portuguese folk tale perhaps, re-imagined? Editor: I never thought about how it might tie into Portuguese folklore. Curator: Art's a conversation, isn’t it? We bring our own baggage to the dance floor, just like Rego did.
Comments
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
tate about 1 month ago
⋮
During the 1980s Rego created paintings inspired by her early life in Portugal. While the scene here could represent a memory of folk festivals or 'festas', it also has a more profound symbolic meaning. The dance can be read as a dance of life, representing the stages from a girl's childhood to old age. The rhythmic movement of the figures contrasts with the stillness of the setting, suggesting the balance between perpetual change and the essential continuity of existence. Rego's painting has an eerie, dream-like quality typical of her work, which often refers to childhood fears and fantasy. The work can be considered a memorial to Rego's husband, the artist Victor Willing, who died during its completion. Gallery label, August 2004
CollectMore like this
