Frida Kahlo's Self Portraits

Frida Kahlo was a very talented Mexican artist that revolutionized art at a very young age. Her work is still idolized and celebrated today and is studied by many artists, institutes of higher education, museums, and fans. Kahlo was born in the town of Coyoacan, Mexico on July the sixth in the year of 1907 (Kettenmann 3). She made around 143 paintings, and out of those 143 paintings, 55 were self-portraits that included symbolism of her physical and emotion pain. Furthermore, in her portraits she used symbolism to express her wounds and sexuality. She use to say: “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality” (Fuentes 41). Her paintings style include of vibrant colors and was heavily influenced

1. Frida Kahlo is one not only Mexico's most iconic artists, but one of the world's most iconic artists as well. She was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyocoan Mexico City, Mexico. Her father was of German descent and migrated to Mexico where he met her mother, who was half Spanish and half AmerIndian. She also had three sisters. Frida was always very close to her father, and was very proud of her Mexican heritage. During her childhood, she contracted a disease called Polio. She was very ill and had to stay in bed for a whole 9 months. The disease caused her right leg to become much skinnier and weaker than the left one. She had a permanent limp because of it and always wore long skirts to hide it. She met her future husband, Diego Rivera, when she was in preparatory school. One day in 1922, she was on a Bus and got in a horrific accident. She was severely injured, as a steel rail impaled her through the hip. During her period of recovery is when she began to paint her famous self-portraits. Frida and Diego reconnected in 1928 and them married in 1929. Their marriage, however, wasn't a healthy one. Diego cheated on Frida many times and they lived in separate houses. Frida, given her condition was always very depressed. She sadly passed away in 1954. Her death was reported to be caused by a pulmonary embolism, but many suspect her death may not have been accidental.

In this essay, I will be discussing how two famous artists from different times and cultures have created aesthetic qualities in artworks, communicated ideas and developed styles. Frida Kahlo and Pablo Picasso have been chosen to express two very different art styles and how both artists use elements and principles to create a distinct quality artwork. Although Frida Kahlo and Pablo Picasso come from different parts of the world and have different cultural backgrounds, both artists have practiced and explored portraiture as a way of making art.

Frida Kahlo was best known for her reflective self-portraits that defined the tragedies she'd endured. Explaining her affection for the style, Kahlo said, "I paint myself because I am so often alone, because I am the subject I know best.” Kahlo contracted Polio at the age of six which left her with a deformed foot, she was also Bed-bound while recovering from a grisly streetcar accident. Kahlo under went over 30 operations throughout her life; and over the years she painted a portrait of herself whenever she was troubled.

Frida Kahlo once said“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” There is no better person to say this than Kahlo, whose life was filled with pain and sadness. She was one of the most influential artists of her time, especially in the Mexican community.. The most important aspects of her life were her multicultural background, her tragic accident she survived as a teen, her relationship with Diego Rivera, her death, and her face as a product.

Painting was the artistic escape route for Kahlo’s mind and body. To occupy her mind after the more than 30 surgeries, she began to paint as part of her recovery process. Fifty-five of her one hundred and forty-three paintings were self-portraits. These paintings were purposely painted in a naïve way to show vulnerability (“A Tribute to Frida Kahlo”). A few of her most famous works include: “Self-Portrait Between Mexico and the United States, 1932”, “My Dress Hangs There, 1933”, and

Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico City on July 7, 1907. Though she wanted many to believe that she was born in 1910, the year of the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. Her father was a photographer of Hungarian Jewish decent, and her mother was Spanish and Native American. From an early age Frida's life would be marked by years of physical suffering. At the age of six she was stricken with polio, this left her right leg to appear much thinner than the other, as well as leaving her with a limp. Though she suffered dearly as a child, she was fearless and brave. She was also extremely intelligent.

Kahlo was in a horrific trolley accident where she suffered a lot of injuries and had over 35 surgeries. Over the healing process time Kahlo began painting what seemed as self-portraits but she says they weren’t. By 1920s Mexico was experiencing a Cultural Artistic Renaissance ridding of the European and catholic

A childhood for most adults is a time of enjoyment and freedom. Unfortunately that enjoyable time was shortened for Kahlo, molding her into the passionate, spirited artist the world has come to know. Kahlo was born in 1907 in a Mexican town called Coyoacán to Matilde Calderón and Guillermo Kahlo, who was also an artist. At age six Kahlo endured her first health upset that set the tone for the rest of her life. She contracted polio which crippled her right leg causing it to become

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón later known as Frida Kahlo, was an artist known for her paintings. Kahlo born in a village on the outskirts of Mexico City on July 06, 1907 but later on she would change it to 1910 when the revolution began because she wanted everyone to think she was born in the revolution.. Born to a German photographer father and Indigenous heritage mother and had three siblings, Matilde, Adriana, and Cristina. Frida Kahlo lived an eccentric yet tragic life. At the age of 6yrs old Frida Kahlo, contracted polio which was on restriction and got her isolated from everyone around her. It left Frida with a leg smaller than the other which got her bullied.

They say, “pictures are worth a thousand words” and I believe when it comes to my chosen artist, Frida Kahlo, her portraits could not be a better example of that saying. All of the 200 paintings done by Frida Kahlo say more about her life and what she experienced than any article I have ever read about her. From her health issues and violent bus accident to her tumultuous marriage with her husband, Diego Rivera is all an influence in her paintings.

More than 60 years have passed since the death of Frida Kahlo, a Surrealist Mexican painter. Frida Kahlo’s many talents were overshadowed by her husband’s fame during the course of her life. Yet, it wasn’t until her death and the early 1970’s where Frida’s artistic effort started to surpass that of her political and creative husband. Her biography is both depressive and particularly interesting. Many of her private moments and experiences are shared in her greatest pieces of art. Some of those valuable masterpieces contain her cherished possessions, in addition to them being the things that established her popularity and appreciation among distinct genders, cultures and ages around the world. Knowing this, it was in my interest to devote some quality time and effort to this woman whose life immediately captivated my attention and inspired me to understand and endure life as a woman.

Frida Kahlo, who was an amazing self-portrait artist, was born during the Mexican revolution. She used her Mexican heritage to paint herself always keeping a tight grasp on her national identity. In order to understand Kahlo and her paintings the historical and political factors that she lived in must be taken in to consideration. Frida’s works of art reflect her life experiences, physical and emotional pain that she felt throughout her lifetime. Frida also utilizes her personal life, health and sometimes even social affairs to relate to her Mexican culture and politics. Kahlo’s paintings are very powerful and relevant to Mexican nationalism and her political views in the social, cultural, and political aspects of Mexico.

Kahlo was an average young woman until an accident forever changed her life. Kahlo, who was eighteen at the time, was with her friend when they stepped onto a new model bus (Morrison). The bus turned out to be dangerous in a collision, because it splintered and a metal handrail impelled her. At the time, Kahlo was unaware of her injuries and the severities of them. The injuries would go on to affect her for the rest of her life. The aftermath began the artist’s dark turn on herself reflection.

Frida Kahlo is a world-renowned Mexican painter known for her shocking self-portaits filled with painful imagery. Her artwork was seen by many as surrealist and socialist, but she refused the labels put on herself. Until today, her works have been able to exude the same playful and wild feel as before (Fisher n.p). Her legacy as a painter has attracted prominent people like Madonna who has confessed her admiration for the painter. Not only that but fashion designers are frequently inspired by her iconic Tijuana dresses while her paintings have been priced at more than three million dollars (Bauer 115).