Frida on my Mind
/I never understood the Frida Kahlo craze.
To me, she was just a weird women, who painted weird things (case in point below), and had a unibrow.
Without Hope, 1945
The Wounded Deer, 1946
My Birth, 1932
But, to quote one of my favorite Podcasts, ArtCurious: “… the stories behind those paintings …. are weirder, crazier, or more fun than you can imagine.”
And now, I am kind of obsessed with Frida too.
She had the brow AND brains
In 1922, when she was nearing her teen years, she was enrolled in the Preparatoria, one of Mexico's most prestigious schools. No small feat, in 1900’s Mexico. Not to mention, Frida was one of the only thirty-five girls to attend among over approximately three hundred boys. (That fact, her strongly religious mother was NOT excited about).
It seems that much of Frida’s love for learning can be traced back to her father, Guillermo Kahlo, who she had a good relationship with early on. He taught her about all subjects that that interested him, such as nature, anatomy, photography and science. Put in his own words, “Frida is my most intelligent daughter.”
So, uh, he played favorites.
A Legacy of Pain (I had NO idea)
Maybe it was for the best though, that Frida’s father favored her, as his paternal tutelage served her at exceedingly difficult times.
An early example being when Frida was six years old and contracted polio; leaving her bedridden for almost an entire year. When she finally did recover from she was left with a withered leg. Frida was pushed to exercise hard and often by her father to help strengthen this leg via swimming and bicycling.
Frida painting while recovering from trolley accident
The second example was the encouragement to paint.
While Frida always enjoyed art in school, up until this time, she had never done so seriously. ‘Up until this point’ meaning when she was eighteen years old and recovering from an almost fatal vehicle accident. The accident occurred when a bus that Frida was riding on collided with a trolley cart. She was only eighteen years old.
In this accident Frida’s spine was broken in three places, her right leg in eleven places, her shoulder was dislocated, her collarbone was broken, her left foot was completely mangled and most traumatically, her pelvic bone had been fractured and uterus pierced when a handrail skewered her. Further complications from this accident would plague Frida for the rest of her life in the form of numerous surgeries, daily pain, the amputation of her leg from gangrene and being unable to carry a child to full term (which left her devastated and lead to several miscarriages).
The Broken Column, 1944
Knowing the above puts “The Broken Column” into perspective. What previously seemed weird and unsettling is now seen as an expression of pain and trauma from injuries sustained in the trolley cart accident. This is a reoccurring theme that would continue throughout Frida’s career, expressing her pain through her art work. This coupled with her application of Surrealism (the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations. i.e. Salvador Dali and his damn elephants) Frida’s work begins to make some form of sense to me.
Her work was not meant to be just pretty, it was meant to help process devastation.
Love Story?
Frida actually met her future husband Diego Rivera while she was still in school at the Preparatoria and he was painting a mural at the school. One of my favorite insights into Frida’s character is her first interaction with Diego at this time. Frida was showing Diego, a known womanizer (even though he was married), some of her artwork. When Diego offered her work high praise, she responded with:
“I have not come to you looking for compliments. I want the criticism of a serious man. I’m neither an art lover nor an amateur. I’m simply a girl who must work for her living.”
Who wouldn’t be impressed by that? Diego sure was. The two began dating and once he divorced his second wife, they married. Diego was twenty years Frida’s senior.
Given all the physical trauma Frida suffered throughout her life, one would think that love would offer some relief. Although she and Diego had a whirlwind romance, it was anything but a relief.
“There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley, and the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst.”
Despite the age difference they were intellectual equals, both artist and members of the Communist party. On paper, the pairing sounded good. However, repeated infidelities on both sides as well as separate living lead to divorce. Although, they re-married not long after.
The Two Fridas, 1939
Self Portraits
Frida recounted a imaginary friend from her childhood who helped her essentially stay sane when she was recovering from polio. It’s thought that this memory, coupled with her and Diego’s separation that is thought to have been the inspiration for “The Two Fridas.” A brief Google search will show much analysis of this piece.
“I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.” - Frida Kahlo
Believe it or not this was only a brief synopsis of Frida. If this left you wanting to know more, I encourage you to research her on your own.
I don’t think you will regret it.
Recommended sources: ArtCurious Podcast, Artholes Podcast: Frida series, Frida Kahlo Organization & Frida Kahlo by John Morrison (2003).