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Paula Rego

Painter

Portuguese-British·b. 1935

Known for:

narrative figurative painting; the abortion pastel series (1998)

Education:

Slade School of Fine Art, London (1952-1956)

Paula Rego grew up in Portugal under the Salazar dictatorship and developed a painting practice drawing on Portuguese folk culture, fairy tales, and the power structures between women, men, and children with a formal intensity that draws on Hogarth, Goya, and narrative illustration as much as fine art painting. She was the first artist to be given the National Gallery's inaugural Associate Artist position in 1990. Her Untitled pastel series addressing illegal abortion in Portugal is widely credited with influencing the 1998 Portuguese referendum on the subject.

Paula Rego's Gear List(2)

Unison Colour Soft Pastels

Unison Colour

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KatypapineauWebsite

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Layered soft pastels (Unison) over hard pastels (Conte) on primed paper, spraying Lascaux fixative between each layer

Product description

Unison Colour Soft Pastels are handmade in Northumberland, England, using pure pigments with minimal binder, producing an extremely soft, richly pigmented stick. They are favored by pastelists working at large scale for their intensity and blendability.

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Last updated March 21, 2026

Conté à Paris Pastels

Conté à Paris

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KatypapineauWebsite

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Used as underlayer beneath Unison soft pastels; also used Conte pencils in brown and black to scratch into the pastel surface

Product description

Square-profile drawing sticks (Carrés) made from natural pigments, kaolin clay, and a cellulose binder, then baked to set their hardness. Conté à Paris traces back to 1795, when Nicolas-Jacques Conté invented the modern pencil during the Napoleonic-era graphite shortage. The square shape allows fine lines from the edges and broad coverage from the flat side. They are harder and less dusty than soft pastels, making them well suited to sketching, figure drawing, and tonal work.

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