The original inspiration
I’ve realised that I haven’t yet uploaded the painting that originally inspired The Family – and here it is.
Painted by Paula Rego, The Family tells the story of a father returning home and being manhandled by the females in his family. The narrative is ambiguous with the viewer unsure if the man is being helped or hurt.
Another work by Rego, Girl Lifting Up her Skirt to a Dog, shows a young girl doing precisely as the title suggests and implies that she is exploring her sexual boundaries at a young age.The two paintings’ narratives have strongly informed the play’s story and this should be evident in the final work.