Exhibition with works by Paula Rego and Josefa de Óbidos

At Casa das Histórias, in Cascais, the exhibition entitled "Paula Rego / Josefa de Óbidos - Religious art in the feminine" shows, until May 23, 115 works by Paula Rego, some of them unpublished, and 21 paintings by Jose de Óbidos.
The House of Stories Paula Rego proposes an unusual visit to the work of two visionary and innovative authors, who went beyond pre-established concepts and established their artistic irreverence through the exploration of timeless themes. The House of Stories programPaula Rego has been defined on the basis of the premise that the artist's work communicates with the past and the present, and is also constituted as a diluting element of hierarchies and differentiation between erudite and popular art, contemporary art, artists consecrated artists, outsider artists and other possible differentiations that usually divide the territory of the visual arts and their producers.

In the female artistic genealogy and in the respective historiographical analysis of Portuguese art, two names stand out: Josefa de Ayala (1630) andPaula Rego (1935). to separatePaula Rego Josefa de Óbidos are three centuries apart, however, the two artists have points in common in their work. Bringing to this monographic museum two exhibitions by two women artists, with a common title, but admittedly differentiated in space - the exhibition of works byPaula Rego takes place in seven adjoining rooms and Josefa's in the room dedicated to temporary exhibitions - it is justified, from the outset, by the way both are distinguished, in their different creative eras, by the originality of their work, which goes beyond the dominant academisms in their times, by the intense sensualist charge that both imprint on painting and also for the imaginative capacity of reconfiguration of religious themes, using an original discourse, structured and delivered in the feminine, in which the sacred and the profane communicate through a personal pictorial vocabulary that both dared to build.

Removing any comparative intention between their lives and works, it is inevitable to establish common points. The independent character and commitment to affirming their individuality, both in life and in art, were certainly decisive for the realization of a unique artistic path. The choice of religious themes in which women are protagonists, or exemplary female models, could also function as a criterion for bringing the two artists together, not least because both coincide, more than once, in their choices when representing "Christian heroines".

The selection of works byPaula Rego for this exhibition it was made from a common theme that the artist has explored, in a more or less declared way, since always: Catholic religiosity and what it contains of mystery. And her constant reflection on the protagonism of women thus extends to concrete characters, saints and martyrs, holders of a narrative and historical existence. Josefa de Ayala extends her representation of female models of the Catholic Church to an outstanding personality, especially in the Iberian Peninsula, for her reforming role in defining spirituality from the 16th century onwards. This woman, Santa Teresa de Ávila, with an invincible critical sense was a nun, writer, reformer, founder, prominent Spanish mystic, and was born in Ávila in 1515. , for its quality as a whole, the series of Santa Teresa do Convento de Nossa Senhora da Piedade, in Cascais, dating from 1672, and which constituted the fundamental nucleus for the selection of works by the artist in this exhibition.Until May 23, the exhibition reveals the dialogue between the works of the two artists and some unpublished works byPaula Rego.

In an interview with Renascença, the curator and director of Casa das HistóriasPaula Rego mentions that both artists have “a fundamental role in the feminine artistic genealogy and in the history of art”. Catarina Alfaro points out that, whetherPaula Rego, or Josefa de Óbidos in her time, address common themes, such as “the role of women in the narrative of Catholic religiosity”.This exhibition, says Catarina Alfaro, was proposed by the mayor of Cascais, sensitized by the president of the D. Luís I Foundation to the theme. The village has in its mother church one of “the most important series by Josefa de Óbidos”, says the curator, who adds that it is a set of works “dedicated to Saint Teresa d'Ávila and her mystical thought”.

The series of Santa Teresa from the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, in Cascais, dates from 1672. This nucleus of the baroque artist is “complemented by works that differentiate the artist for their feminine look, namely the treatment of some main characters of the Catholic religion , such as Santa Catarina, whichPaula Rego he also pays attention to it. However,Paula Rego and Josefa de Óbidos have different positions towards religion. "APaula Rego states that he never had a religious upbringing”, explains Catarina Alfaro. The curator stresses, however, that “there was always an interest on the part of Paula Rego in what the Catholic religion had of mystery and that fascinated her”.

The art historian also indicates that what matters most toPaula Rego they are the stories and in that sense, it is the story of “Virgem Maria” that most focuses his attention. “The series thatPaula Rego dedicates to the life of the Virgin show the most humanized side, namely the moment of childbirth”, says Catarina Alfaro. “Mary's suffering, when she loses her son and takes him off the cross” is portrayed in an unpublished work that belongs to the private collection of Paula Rego and which can be seen in this exhibition organized by the D.Luís I Foundation in conjunction with the Cascais municipality. As for Josefa de Óbidos, the artist began by working in her father's workshop. “From a very early age, she accompanied her father to Coimbra, where he received religious orders”. Such asPaula Rego, she also worked in an atelier and, in 1660, reports Catarina Alfaro, “she became autonomous from a financial point of view, emancipated herself, which was unusual for the time”. The studio space was for Josefa de Óbidos “a space for affirming her identity”, says the curator.

 also forPaula Rego, the studio space is the epicenter of his creation. “When thePaula Rego went to her studio, there was an indication that family life could not enter”, recalls the director of Casa das Histórias, who adds that this separation between private life and work “allowed her autonomy as an artist and as a woman.This almost magical relationship with his studio still exists today. In Cascais, the exhibition “Paula Rego / Josefa de Óbidos: Religious Art in the Feminine” shows 115 works byPaula Rego, including painting, drawing, engraving and sculpture, in seven museum rooms and 21 paintings by Josefa de Óbidos in the temporary exhibition space.