Today we celebrate the 112th birthday of Frida Kahlo, the iconic Mexican painter and activist, famous for her portraits and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Kahlo's work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
My knowledge of her life and her works is thin; so, I present some information culled from wikipedia and other sources and some tweets paying tribute to her and highlighting some of her images and paintings.
Short Biography
Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907 in Coyoacán, Mexico to a German father and a mother of Spanish and indigenous descent.
As a child, she battled a serious case of polio that left her with several disabilities. A traffic accident at age eighteen caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. Bedridden and bored, Kahlo took up painting with watercolors to pass the time.
In 1927, she joined the Mexican Communist Party, through which she met fellow Mexican artist Diego Rivera, whom she married in 1928. Kahlo spent the late 1920s and early 1930s travelling in Mexico and the United States with Rivera. During this time, she developed her artistic style, drew her main inspiration from Mexican folk culture, and painted mostly small self-portraits which mixed elements from pre-Columbian and Catholic beliefs. Throughout the 1940s, Kahlo participated in exhibitions in Mexico and the United States, and also worked as an art teacher. en.wikipedia.org/...
She died in 1954 at the age of 47.
Tributes and Images
Painting done after her painful divorce -
Another portrait painted after the divorce, full of symbolism.
The “Colors of Frida” celebration in Mexico City — .
A Few Quotes
- I was born a bitch, I was born a painter
- I am broken. But I am happy to be alive as long as I can paint.
- At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.
- Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?
- I love you more than my own skin.
- Pain, pleasure, and death are no more than a process for existence. The revolutionary struggle in this process is a doorway open to intelligence.
- I must fight with all my strength so that the little positive things that my health allows me to do might be pointed toward helping the revolution. The only real reason for living.
- They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.
- I paint flowers so they will not die.
- I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.
- I leave you my portrait so that you will have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you.
- I hope the leaving is joyful; and I hope never to return.
Epilogue
How do you remember Frida Kahlo? Did her art and political activism affect your life? Did her struggles with pain and the world bring some inspiration into your life?
Please share your knowledge, stories and images about her.
Further Reading
- en.wikipedia.org/…
- In honor of Frida Kahlo's birthday, here are 5 things you should know about the Mexican artist — www.cnn.com/…
- Frida Kahlo’s Artistic Growth: From Divorce To Fame — stmuhistorymedia.org/…
- Complete works at www.frida-kahlo-foundation.org
- Frida Kahlo at artsandculture.google.com/...