Frida Kahlo Surrealism

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

Recognized for her eccentric, vivid paintings, Frida Kahlo was one of Mexico’s most notable artists. While observers may find themselves mesmerized by her work, some may not realize the intimacy and profound emotion behind each painting. Kahlo was an artist who utilized painting as an outlet for the physical and emotional suffering she endured throughout her life. From health complications to a troublesome marriage, these adversities would influence Frida’s painting style and content. Decades after her death, her expressive artwork continues to illustrate the vigor and beauty of emotion.

Throughout her career, Frida had shown many different themes of her life through her paintings. It seems clear, through analyzation of her paintings, that Frida lived something of a double life. Frida paints herself in distinctly different ways at times, sometimes she is a beautiful woman with strength like iron, and sometimes she is a frail damsel who has been broken already and will be broken again. Contrasting paintings include Self Portrait with Monkeys (Kahlo, 1) and Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Diego and I (Kahlo, 1) and The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Me, Diego, and Mr. Xolotl (Kahlo, 1). All of these paintings show that not only is there a contrast in her personality, in fact, Frida’s is actually two different people, as she paints it.

Frida Kahlo was a half-mexican, half-hungarian painter of the 20th century born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón in Coyoacán, Mexico City on July 6, 1907. During her short lived life, she had many accomplishments. She was a surrealist artist whos paintings reflected her thoughts and feelings. Her creative style was always amazing but confusing. Unfortunately, she lived most of her artistic life in the shadow of her husband, Diego Rivera, and her work was not truly recognized until after her death.

Frida attended a National Preparatory School in 1922 hoping to become a doctor. At the same school, she saw Diego Rivera, painting “The Creation” (“Biography.com”). Frida was inspired and approached Diego with her compliments. He told her to go home and return with a painting in one week for him to judge. When she did as he asked, he was very impressed with her artistic ability and they became close (“Frida Kahlo: Biography”). Their relationship progressed and then Frida got into her terrible bus accident.

Tragedy, a crippling experience many people endure in life, yet some give up and the courageous few fight back. Frida Kahlo exemplifies the strength required to express oneself openly and boldly, sharing her painful life through paintings. Kahlo is one of the most famous female painters from Mexico and is known for her mutilating, heartbreaking and courageous self-portraits of her life. Through her various paintings and self portraits, she has created a journal and self-biography of her life that will give her immortality and inspire future generations of artists. Frida Kahlo has become an icon of female creativity from her emotionally charged paintings of her life, unfortunate tragedies and battle of survival. Kahlo was never a woman of conventional ways. She was bold with her art and views of politics as well as being eccentric from what was expected of a female in Mexico.

Her unibrow and mustache are prominent in her self-portraits. Becoming a painter was not part of the plan she had for herself. She was a very passionate person and this passion is portrayed in her paintings. Frida Kahlo was cursed with many health issues throughout her life. She began painting shortly after suffering a tragic accident early in her life; her dreams of becoming a medical doctor were crushed.

The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.” Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who has achieved great international popularity and is still admired as a feminist icon. Frida began this painting in August of 1940, the year she and Diego divorced, but didn’t finish it until 1943. “Her paintings tell stories – intimate, engaging, terrifying, and tragic ones.” This painting expresses Frida’s desire to possess Diego Rivera, who continues to betray her with his affairs with other woman.

Frida Kahlo was an astonishing Mexican artist, who mainly painted self-portraits after the fact she had a bus accident. When the bus accident happened Frida Kahlo was stabbed by a steel handrail, which went all the way through her hip, which was a serious fracture and left her in the hospital for several weeks in the hospital to recover. The only good outcome out of this was that during her recovery time she used her time painting so her talent came out to the world. She was married to another great Mexican artist, Diego Rivera who was consider a muralist at the time. He was also a great influence when she started painting.

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).

Kahlo invoked such strong reactions to her work because they challenged traditional values with modern ideas, mixed with often violent and sexualized imagery. She used her art to bring attention to the mistreatment of women and to aid the feminist movement. A Few Small Nips (Figure 6) was painted after she read in the newspaper about a man who stabbed his cheating wife. Frida was herself a sexually promiscuous woman who’d had affairs with both men and women (Lindauer, 1999) so she would feel invested in how such women are viewed. She fought against the expectation of the meek female dressed up in lace and bows. She painted Self-Portrait with

Frida was a very skilled painter who did mainly self-portraits where she expressed her feelings and portrayed herself in unconventional ways. Frida would take some of the events of her life and paint them. For example, Frida painted the auto accident she was in that left her with traumatizing pain, the miscarriages she suffered as a result of the accident, the heartbreak she

4. Frida Kahlo essentially became an international cultural icon, honored by many people, especially in Mexico. Her artwork withholds visual symbolism of all kinds of emotional and physical pain and most importantly she incorporated indigenous culture and her depiction of the female experience. Including illustrating the feelings of death, loneliness, pain, including the pain of miscarriages, failed marriage, and the aftermath of tragic accidents. Through her imagery, she was able to portray her life experiences. She would include specific elements that symbolized something greater. Throughout the process of analyzing all different aspects of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, it provided a deeper understanding to each painting.

Frida Kahlo’s “The Two Fridas” is a manifestation of heartbreak, inner human pain, rejection of colonialism, and emotional journey. An oil on canvas made in 1939 in the midst of Frida Kahlo’s divorce from Diego Rivera, this painting embodied Frida Kahlo’s progression at this time in her life, dealing with what she is and what she wishes to be; as well as setting out how she wishes to do it. An ode to melancholy and overcoming adversity, “The Two Fridas” is a universal, eternal reminder of human capability.

Frida Kahlo did not originally aspire to become a painter. Her goal in life was to become a doctor but a tragic bus accident at 18 left her physically and mentally scarred for life. During her months of recovery, Frida began to take painting seriously, to combat the boredom and pain, as she felt that she still had enough energy to do something other than study to become a doctor and without giving it any particular thought she started painting. This was the beginning of a life-long career. Part from art classes in high school and looking at a few books from her fathers collection, Frida had received no formal training in the arts. As she developed her artistic skills, she created her own unique styles, which was heavily influenced by a number of things.