Drawing for ‘The Dance’ 1988

Editor: This is Paula Rego's "Drawing for 'The Dance'," currently residing at the Tate. It's like a sepia-toned memory, isn't it? A group of figures dancing, but there's a sort of haunting quality about it. What's your take on this piece? Curator: It's interesting you say "haunting." I see it, too. Rego often taps into the subconscious, the unsettling aspects of childhood and folklore. The blurred lines and the way the figures are both connected and isolated… It feels like a dream, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. Like a dream where things aren't quite right. Curator: Exactly! And that castle in the background, or whatever it is...it looms, doesn't it? A silent witness to their endless dance. It asks, what are they dancing away from, or towards? Editor: I hadn't thought about that. The background really does change the tone. Curator: It always does, doesn't it? Rego’s work is never just what it seems; it’s about what it makes you feel, what it stirs up from your own depths.