The Tragic Life of Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo is a very important name in the history of art of the 20th century, that we all have somehow heard of. Even though she is known for her incredible paintings and artwork, she had a very strong character and had various tragic events in her life that she expressed through her art, which shaped her into the well-known icon she is today.
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was born on the 6th of July 1907. She was very connected with political affairs regarding her country, Mexico. Even though she was born in 1907, she changed her birth date to 1910 to have a connection with the Mexican Revolution also known as the Mexican Civil War. At the age of six, she was diagnosed with poliomyelitis. As a result of the disease, her legs became disproportionate. But this did not stop her from being a good student and entering the best high school in Mexico, La Prepatoria. She was working towards her goal of studying medicine and becoming a doctor until she had a major car accident at the age of 18 that impacted her entire life and caused her lifelong suffering. However, it also inspired her to start painting. Kahlo’s interest for politics grew over the years and led her to join the Mexican Communist Party in 1927. During these times, she met Diego Rivera, an important Mexican painter. The couple soon got married and travelled the United States and Mexico together. Her first exhibition was in New York in 1938. She had another exhibition in Paris a year later and one of her paintings The Frame was purchased by The Louvre, which made her the first Mexican artist to be featured in their collection. Frida got pregnant many times but sadly, all of her pregnancies ended by miscarriages. She expressed her physical and emotional pain through her art. One of her paintings that represents the pain she went through is The Hospital Henry Ford. After her heartbreaking divorce with her husband in 1939, she created her iconic painting, the two fridas. İn 1940, she experienced major health problems but these never stopped her from painting and expressing her emotions. Most of her self portraits were surrounded by animals and nature. Her paintings often mixed realism with fantasy.
Self Portrait With Necklace Of Thorns and Hummingbird
This self-portrait was painted by Frida Kahlo in 1940. This is one of her many famous paintings due to its composition and symbolic figures.
Frida has painted a lot of symbolic creatures in this self-portrait. The hummingbird, which often symbolizes life and hope is black and is hanging off Kahlo’s thorn necklace tied from its neck. The hummingbird being dead and black might be symbolizing hopelessness and suffering. The thorn necklace pinches her neck and causes her to bleed. The necklace is tied by the black monkey on her right which might symbolize death. A black cat usually symbolizes bad luck. She painted this portrait after her divorce with Diego Rivera. She also experienced major health problems at the time. Her solemn expression might be the sign that she is calmly enduring all of this physical and emotional pain.
Frida Kahlo was not only one of the best artists who lived in the 20th century but was also an icon of feminism. At that time, gender boundaries were very clear. However, she still embraced her masculinity by wearing suits and cutting her hair short. On the other hand, she is known for wearing colorful dresses and fun hairstyles. She always embraced who she truly was with her feminine and masculine sides. She never tried to hide her physical features that weren’t considered ‘pretty’ at that time like her mono-brow and a faint mustache. Frida Kahlo, with her diverse personality and incredible talent, was truly one of the most important women to live and her legacy still continues today.
