Broken Promises. Paula Rego, 2006 Broken Promises, created by Paula Rego in 2006, is a poignant and deeply affective work that reinterprets themes from Madame Butterfly through Rego's unique artistic lens. The piece, executed in pastel on a monumental sheet of paper, features her granddaughter Lola and a figure named Lila in a jagged, emotionally charged scene with broken umbrellas and an effigy of Saint Sebastian. Drawing inspiration from her childhood storytelling traditions and experiences under Portugal's Salazar dictatorship, Rego's work explores the complexities of family life and female experiences with raw emotional honesty. The pastel medium, which Rego adopted in 1994, imbues her characters with vibrant, layered intensity, portraying women not as ethereal beings but as strong, vividly real individuals. This work exemplifies her incisive revelations about gender and identity, earning her deep approbation and a dedicated following. Credit: Christie's London