Pelo Corto Analysis

641 Words2 Pages

As viewers, we often don’t consider the three-dimensionality of objects when evaluating their authenticity. In terms of paintings, for instance, a public portrait is seen as more authentic from the painter’s point of view, while self-portraits are seen as authentic images of the subject and the painter. Considering one more authentic than the other seems ludicrous as they each illustrate divergent types of authenticity. However, as John Berger argues in Ways of Seeing, self-portraits are less stiff and rigid, and more personal, “They are there in all their particularity and we can study them, but it is impossible to imagine them considering us in a similar way” (98). One painting in particular, Autorretrato con Pelo Corto by Frida Kahlo, manages to capture what a public portrait of Kahlo would not; it, among many things, clues in her divorce, sexual identity and orientation, and health issues. Autorretarato con Pelo Corto was Kahlo’s first painting after her divorce with another Mexican artist, Diego Rivera. While strands of her hair are all over the dark orange floor, Kahlo is sitting on a bright yellow, wooden chair, holding onto scissors, implying that a part of her does not want to stop. A strand of hair is also tied to the visible part of the bright yellow chair, signifying that a part of her old self will always be with her. Furthermore, Kahlo is also wearing an over-sized suit, which probably belonged to Diego. Whether it was a result of her divorce or not, Kahlo majorly stopped dressing in feminine outfits and started dressing in the perceiving manly outfits after her divorce. However, many feminists view this transformation as Kahlo having the opportunity to be more open about her sexual …show more content…

Frida Kahlo Fans. Web. 19 Oct. 2015. . Autorretrato Con Pelo Corto. Frida Kahlo. 1940. Painting. Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting :, 1972. 166.

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