Paula Rego

In J. M. Barrie’s famous story, Peter Pan loses his shadow and is only reunited with it when his friend Wendy offers to sew it back on. That innocent episode is here reimagined by Rego in an ominous, erotically charged setting. On top of an open wardrobe—a site of childhood fears—reclines a nude woman, while on the back wall stuffed toys cast disquieting shadows.

Aquatint, a technique of light and shadows, is perfectly suited to depicting this episode, part of a portfolio of illustrations to Peter Pan. Rego, like Goya and Klinger, tends to produce prints in series using their same techniques, and also shares their interest in mystery, sexuality, and the darker sides of the human psyche.