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Frida Kahlo Research Paper

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Frida Kahlo is a Mexican artist of mixed heritage who was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacan, Mexico. Her work is most often described as Surrealism. Andre Breton who is known as the “pope of Surrealism” saw Kahlo’s work, and said that her art had developed into surreality even without knowledge of the style. Kahlo explored many themes in her work such as race, sex, gender, and her own reality. Kahlo’s deep expression of her life in her paintings does not match up with Surrealist philosophy. Although many of her paintings include surreal elements, she was never freed from her reality. One could argue that the surrealist movement was founded in Europe by a group of men experiencing World War 1, thus surrealism was born through a cultural crisis of identity that Kahlo was not experiencing. Therefore, Kahlo was not a Surrealist; perhaps she was a realist who expressed her reality in terms of adversities in her life not through her dreams the unconscious, or a crisis of identity. The surrealist movement was founded in Europe during the 1st World War. The group of men that took part of this movement were experiencing a cultural crisis of identity. Thus, Kahlo’s cultural and political views were different than those artist in …show more content…

Kahlo’s artwork was vastly different from Surrealist painters. Her fantasy was her way of coming to terms with reality not diving into the unconscious mind. Kahlo’s work was meant to affect viewers while exploring her own real life experiences and sensations. Her art was not something that was a product of European culture; instead her art had meaning that was accessible to her viewers. She had no interest in dreams as she painted her emotions, political views, and difficulties in her real life. Kahlo said, ‘They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my own

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