Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/uncovering-clues-in-frida-kahlos-private-wardrobe/

Political Expression

Bibliography

Cultural Expression

Personal Expression

"Marxism Will Give Health to the Sick" 1954

"The Two Fridas" 1939

"Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress" 1926

"Self-Portrait Along the Border Line Between

Mexico and the United States" 1932

Frida Kahlo's paintings are both colorful and figurative, jam packed with symbolism. All of the symbolism stems from her innate connection to her own personal emotional and experiences, as well as her love for mexican culture and the revolution of Mexican politics. Throughout her career it appears her paintings were purposefully done naive yet specific, to express her emotions as specifically as possible. Her life's hardships including her street car accident resulting in a life wrenching injury, infertility, and later her emotional and dramatic marriage to Diego Rivera drove the subjects and symbolism within her paintings. Her reputation is known nationally and internationally, sparking many critical reviews such as books, articles, and world renowned exhibitions.

Was Frida Kahlo a feminist? The feminist movement during the 60s and 70s sparked the notion to determine female sensibility within art that has been done by possibly unappreciated female artists. Kahlo is one of the first female artists to reflect her complete self within her portraits, seen with the image of her trademark mono-brow. This representation of herself could be considered "femaleness," in which there's evidence of a strong tie between herself and nature and various earth goddesses. Kahlo was deceased before this interest was sparked, but as the movement grew, her art was criticized and represented greater upon her death, as a result of the feminist movement itself. Within this exhibition specifically, some of Kahlo's most revolutionary pieces are represented, in which prove her personal, cultural, and political identity are expressed.

-Frida Kahlo’s art is revolutionary because she explicitly expresses her emotions and experiences through visual art, while representing a true cultural, political, and social identity during her time. Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico. She married another renowned Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, who was an active member of the Communist party with Kahlo. Her paintings were exhibited throughout Paris and Mexico, before her death in 1954.

-Kahlo was raised in the house where she was born, named Casa Azul. She was diagnosed with Polio at the age of 6, which later left her with a limp because of the damage done by the disease. Her father encouraged her to play many male sports, to aid in recovery. This drove her rebellious nature, as well as developed her nonconformity to typical female gender roles .

"Frida Kahlo Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. <http://www.biography.com/people/frida-kahlo-9359496>.

Garber, Elizabeth. Art Critics on Frida Kahlo: A Comparison of Feminist and Non-Feminist Voices 45.2 (1992): 42-48. JSTOR. National Art Education Association, 29 Sept. 2009. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3193324?uid=3739592&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21104536972993>.

"The Revolutionary Artist: Frida Kahlo." Feminist Art Archive. University of Washington, n.d. Web. <http://courses.washington.edu/femart/final_project/wordpress/frida-kahlo/>.

Malkin, Elisabeth. "Beyond The Myth, Art Endures." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 July 2007. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/07/arts/design/07frid.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Vallen, Mark. "Frida Kahlo's 100th Birthday." RSS. Mark Vallen, 13 June 2007. Web. <http://art-for-a-change.com/blog/2007/06/frida-kahlos-100th-birthday.html>.

Schaefer, Claudia. "P. 89-91." Textured Lives: Women, Art, and Representation in Modern Mexico by. 42nd ed. Vol. 21. N.p.: Latin American Literary Review, 1993. N. pag. Print.

Ciabattari, Jane. "The Wages of Pain." The Wages of Pain 16 (1984): n. pag. JSTOR. ThreePenny Review. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/4383268>.

Stern, Peter. "FRIDA KAHLO: THE PAINTINGS by Hayden Herrera; FRIDA KAHLO: THE BRUSH OF ANGUISH by Martha Zamora; Marilyn S. Smith." Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America 11.2 (1992): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/27948441>.

All paintings from:

http://www.fridakahlo.org/frida-kahlo-paintings.jsp

This is Kahlo's first self portrait. Just the year before this, Kahlo was traveling with her student boyfriend, Alejandro Gomez Arias on a bus when it tragically struck a street car. This placed Kahlo in the hospital with multiple fractures to her spine and pelvis. During her long recovery, she painted this first self portrait as a gift for Arias, who had recently left her. Kahlo painted in Renaissance style, placing herself in an aristocratic pose to show her interest in the Italian Renaissance era. Kahlo described this portrait as her interpretation of Botticelli's "Venus." After Arias and Kahlo split apart, she took this self portrait and three other paintings to Diego Rivera, where he described the self portrait as his favorite.

Very close to her death, Frida introduced a political identity into her paintings to serve her Communist party. She began to believe that political dedication and conviction could free her, and with this she would free herself from pain and suffering; as well as mankind. She is seen in the middle of the painting between two different parts of the world-- the free and peaceful side and the ever threatening, destructive side. Her body is suspended between two large hands, which are common symbols of Marxism. One hand holds the eye of wisdom, as she throws down her crutches. This painting is one of the first to show her loose brushwork and thicker application of paint, because during this time she is heavily medicated and in constant pain. This specific painting remained unfinished on her easel at her time of death.

This self portrait was done very shortly after her divorce from Rivera. Kahlo and Rivera split after her discovery of an affair he had with her sister. In this portrait, there are two Fridas with two different personalities. The left Frida is the European Frida, wearing a Victorian lace wedding gown, in contrast to the Mexican Frida on the right, dressed in very Mexican cultural costume. This Mexican Frida was the one loved and respected by Rivera, seen with the alive red heart, connected to the European Frida. Rivera abandoned this part of Frida during their marriage, which she emulates with the broken heart in her chest. Exposing the hearts was a common device Kahlo used in her portraits to represent pain and suffering. Instead of bright and vivacious background, the Fridas are surrounded by dark and stormy clouds. Her inner turmoil is represented here, as Frida holds her own hand-- her only lover and companion is herself.

During her marriage, Kahlo moved to the United States while Rivera worked on commission at the Rockefeller Center. Her time in America solidified her love for Mexico and Mexican culture, and pushed her to become an even more active member of the Communist party. Here, Kahlo makes clear her opinion of "Gringolandia" (the United Sates) while standing like a statue between the two worlds, wearing a pink gown which is very uncharacteristic for Kahlo. On the left side, Mexico is represented with warm, earthy tones, exotic plants, Aztec sculptures, and the sun and moon over head as the force of nature driving the land. In stark contrast, the US side is grey and painted with dark colors as metal and steel surround her. The American flag rises out of smoke, in contrast to the Mexican sun and moon.

The only link between the two sides is the electrical generator seen above. The device is getting power from the roots of the exotic plants. Kahlo holds the Mexican flag, representing where her heart belongs.

"Self Portrait with Stalin" 1954

"Self Portrait Time Flies" 1929

"The Broken Column" 1944

"The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, Diego and Señor Xólotl" 1949

Here is an explicit painting representing Kahlo's immense involvement in her political party. This is Joseph Stalin, a revolutionary Communist leader from Russia during this time period. Compared to her other paintings like this one, but earlier on in her life and with different subject matter, Stalin is represented as a "Savior" to Kahlo, because he is painted high above her and larger than life. This is one of her later paintings, evident by the simple brush strokes and a loss of precise execution while Kahlo falls subject to her heavy medication.

This self portrait is the most exposing and contrasting portrait Kahlo creates. She is represented all alone, compared to majority of her other portraits where monkeys, birds, dolls, and extravagant backgrounds surround her. Painted towards the end of her life, when her health was deteriorating rapidly, Kahlo reveals her vulnerability. The broken column and thick white straps symbolize her steel brace, which she wore for many months to support her deteriorating back. Many nails spear her body in representation of her pain and suffering throughout her life. The largest nail pierces her heart, most likely showing her pain in losing Rivera to an affair. Obviously this portrait is her way of explicitly presenting her physical and emotional condition-- but a closer look reveals doves of peace painted within her pupils. These doves show Kahlo's immense strength through the pain and suffering she has endured.

-Kahlo was politically and culturally active, for she loved traditional Mexican culture and became a very active Communist. Her political and social connection to Mexico is depicted through her art, with beautiful bright colors in every painting representing Mexican culture (no matter the overall emotion) and her overall dressing in her portraits. Through her marriage to another artist, she traveled all over the world, including to the United States while he worked. This travel solidified her love for Mexican culture and her political involvement, because she disliked American culture. This led to her immense focus on her work, for her personal seclusion from American culture helped her grow as an artist.

-Through dissecting her art it is obvious Kahlo walked to her own beaten path. She did not associate with one specific gender, even though she identified physically female. She embodied many "male" traits sch as excessive drinking, cursing, cutting her hair, and promiscuity (including bi-sexual affairs). Her sexual fluidity and many other feministic personality traits made Kahlo a woman before her time.

-In October 1925, Kahlo was traveling on a bus when it collided with a streetcar, resulting in a handrail impaling her hip and coming out the other side of her body. She had many fractures to her pelvis and spine, resulting in a tremendous amount of surgeries and recuperation. Kahlo began painting while in the hospital, and completed her first self portrait that following year. Soon after recovery, Kahlo joined the Mexican Communist Party.

-Kahlo grew up during the controversial Mexican revolution, and was greatly influenced by rebellious heroes during this time period. The leaders of the revolution inspired her to become socially active and aware. This awareness drove her rebellious social life and need for involvement in Mexico's political issues of the time.

If any of her paintings show her love for Mexican culture, it is this painting. At first glance, one might not understand everything going on within this painting, but further analysis shows great attention to detail and symbolism behind every entity. Kahlo is holding Rivera, her ex husband at the time. Her inability to bear children led her to fulfill a maternal role to Rivera, hence their position. She is holding him with a loving embrace, combining their relationship while equalizing it by giving him the third eye of wisdom. The Aztec Earth Mother, Cihuacoatl is holding Kahlo and Rivera in her arms while being held herself by the Universal Mother. On the wrist of the Universal Mother is a dog., Senor Xolotl. Xolotl is a being in the form of a dog that guards the entrance to the underworld. Kahlo represents the sun, moon, earth, man, woman, life, and death, all within one painting. This truly encompasses all of Kahlo's life and immense connection to every aspect of Mexican culture.

Here is a self portrait painted the year before Kahlo marries Diego Rivera. Rivera was very fond of Kahlo's love for Mexican culture, and inspired her to paint accordingly. Here, Kahlo paints herself in traditional Mexican folk style painting, ditching her previous Renaissance style (as seen in the previous portrait) where she is much more melancholy and represented in flatter colors. In this self portrait, she is vibrant and bright, typical of Mexican culture. This technique will continue throughout her career.