(Self-portrait with Thorn necklace and hummingbirds, 1940)
Hello and Happy Thursday!
“Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing.” – Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo (de Rivera), 1907-1954, was a Mexican painter best known for her self-portraits. Very important in her work are Mexican tradition and culture. Many times, her work has been described as surrealistic but she denied this. She believed that “her work reflects more of her reality than her dreams”. She was married to the Mexican artist Diego Rivera and many stated that this relationship was very volatile. Kahlo suffered lifelong health problems and most were caused by a tragic bus accident that she survived when she was eighteen years old. The doctors thought she would not survive this accident but she did recover – however, mostly isolated because of her injuries. She painted many self-portraits throughout this time.
“I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”
Kahlo painted in a wheelchair, in bed laying down and even throughout times of almost complete physical immobilization. Painting was her life. And Diego Rivera. Even though the couple simultaneously cheated on each other, they ended up back together. They even divorced and remarried. Kahlo had another huge problem. She did get pregnant initially but then had miscarriages. Three times. The third one almost destroyed her mentally. She wanted a baby so badly and did not feel as a “complete woman” if she would not be able to raise her own child. Her suffering and pain is depicted and can be felt in many painting, an example, click here.
Her suffering continued; her paintings changed. Initially she painted herself and nature – she wants to become one with nature it seems. Then the paintings started to get darker and more painful. Her health deteriorated. In 1952, Frida’s lower right leg was amputated and she became frail. She was very ill throughout her last two years and had reoccurring anxiety attacks. Diego Rivera was by her side and helped whenever he could. The morphine she took towards the end made her often delusional. Of course her paintings changed again. Frida Kahlo died on July 13th, 1954. She was just 47 years old. A couple of days before she passed away she wrote in her journal: “I hope the exit is joyful — and I hope never to return — Frida”
The two Fridas, 1939
Self portrait with monkey, 1938
See more of her artwork here.
Current Exhibitions of Frida Kahlo’s Paintings:
Frida Kahlo Collection at the MOMA, New York: Ongoing
Kunstmuseum Gehrke-Rehmund, Baden-Baden: Exhibition until 3 April 2016
Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico (Still on my bucket-list!)
Watch this great documentary on Frida Kahlo here. I love art books and usually every time I visit the MOMA, I purchase one book before leaving. The Diary of Frida Kahlo is one of my favorite art-books by far. It is Frida Kahlo’s amazing illustrated journal which depicts a plethora of her paintings and documents the last ten years of her life. I highly recommend this book. A gem for every art-lover.
UPDATE: There is an amazing movie called “Frida” on Netflix if you would love to see!
Do you like Frida Kahlo and her art? Which is your favorite painting? What other artist(s) do you like? I would love to hear from you.
