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Frida Kahlo’s honest, often bizarre, self-portraits reflect a beauty beyond the physical--- an impishness in the wide eyes, a small smirk teasing at the corners of her mouth. In her renderings, her cheeks are always heavily rouged, and exotic flowers adorn her raven hair. Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress uses the contrast of light --- Kahlo’s glowing skin --- and dark--- the black background, and in doing so, this painting not only communicates the subject’s outward beauty. It also points to an unspoken turmoil inside of the painter: as dark as the night sky and as deep as rolling sea.
Much of Kahlo’s life was characterized by immense pain resulting from a lifelong battle with polio, and a bus accident in 1925 that left her crippled at the age of eighteen. It was in those lonely evenings, laid up in her hospital bed when Kahlo began to paint herself, as she was the only subject matter she had.
Frida Kahlo was born
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Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907 in Mexico to Matilde Calderón and Guillermo Kahlo. She was a middle child of four, and she spent her childhood in Coyoacán, Mexico City in la Casa Azul, the Blue House. Though she was born in Mexico and stands today as a pioneer of Mexican folk art, Kahlo was actually ethnically half-European. “Frieda” was the original Hungarian spelling of her name, but she came to use the Spanish spelling, “Frida” furthering her carefully crafted persona. Her father, Wilhelm--- he only later changed his name to Guillermo--- was Hungarian, and her mother, Matilde was of Spanish, as and indigenous, descent. This work stands out among the rest of Kahlo’s collection for its references to European art and a European standard of beauty. The woman portrayed here is only a version of the artist. Her hand is placed delicately on her arm; her white neck, elongated. The piece conjures images of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the subject’s knowing smile and Van Gogh’s Starry Night with the rolling waves in the background. These works in and of themselves were fitting inspirations, as both were, at their debuts, ill-received, misunderstood and wholly unappreciated. At the time, critics questioned Mona Lisa’s smile (insert hyperlink) and scoffed at Van Gogh’s celestial cityscapes (insert hyperlink). One could interpret this use of the European style as a nod to the well-respected European greats like Da Vinci, like Van Gogh, or one could interpret this as Kahlo’s attempt to thumb her nose at these methods.
Take the exaggerated features of this work; one could suppose that the woman’s neck is too stretched, her tempting dress to too red, the cut of it too low. Consider these features, and this here Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress becomes a caricature-Kahlo and is no longer the genuine artifact.
This mockery is Kahlo’s rejection of the European standard, a rejection of the culture, and it acts as the artist’s way of further embracing her Mexican culture and identity. It would not be too hard to imagine, given that the artist was a notorious firecracker, a rebel and a patriot to the very end.
Kahlo’s Velvet offers a shining example of her own talent and versatility while never abandoning her signature style. Chiefly, it demonstrates the artist’s complexity and her ability to critically examine her cultural identity and herself as only she
could. AJD
Frida Kahlo is known for the most influential Latin American female artist. She is also known as a rebellious feminist. Kahlo was inspired to paint after her near-death bus incident when she was 17. After this horrendous incident that scarred her for life, she went under 35 different operations. These operations caused her extreme pain and she was no longer able to have kids. Kahlo’s art includes self portraits of her emotions, pain, and representations of her life. Frida Kahlo was an original individual, not only in her artwork but also in her
Frida Kahlo nació el 6 de Julio 1907 en la ciudad de México. Ella les dijo a muchas personas que nació el 7 de Julio 1910 porque quiso parecer más joven a los otros. Aunque sus padres fueron judíos, Frida nació en México. Frida fue una artista surrealista y sus obras vió de sus emociones de la tristexa y la cólera de su vida. Ella le encantó decir los chistes, reír, y sonreír. Frida Kahlo llevó las ropas de la cultura tradicional de México porque pensó que las ropas fueran una forma del arte. Todo el mundo admiró mucho a Frida, a causa de sus obras y su actitud.
Spending time looking at art is a way of trying to get into an artists’ mind and understand what he is trying to tell you through his work. The feeling is rewarding in two distinctive ways; one notices the differences in the style of painting and the common features that dominate the art world. When comparing the two paintings, The Kneeling Woman by Fernand Leger and Two Women on a Wharf by Willem de Kooning, one can see the similarities and differences in the subjects of the paintings, the use of colors, and the layout
Frida Kahlo was an amazing woman whose many tragedies influenced her to put her stories into her paintings. She was born in July 6th 1907 to a Mexican Roman Catholic mother who was of Indian and Spanish decent and a German photographer father. Frida had three sisters, Mitilde and Adriana, who were older and Christina who was younger. She learned about Mexican history, art and architecture by looking at her father’s photography. When Frida was six she got polio and it was a long time before she would heal completely. After surviving polio, Frida’s right leg became weak and thin, so her father encouraged her to play sports to help her.
Andy Warhol and Frida Kahlo had an immense amount of impact on the world of art. Warhol has always explored the rooted connection between celebrity culture and artistic expression, which left him with a lasting legacy that has marked him for one of the most famous artists to have existed. The population was fascinated by Warhol’s ability to blur the lines between fine art and innovative design, providing him a large following and work that will be remembered for decades. Kahlo too is a name that is not likely to be forgotten. Her work is recognizable on a global level and her works are loved by many people. The deep admiration her followers have given her, and the amount of modern artists that she has influenced, creates an immortalization
“Confronted by the expressive, powerful or victimized images of Gentileschi’s women, writers have been unable to fit her paintings into the usual feminine stereotype: they cannot trace the expected signs of femininity, weakness, gracefulness or delicateness. Thus, unable to put her work into a stereotype, they turn instead to the dramatic events of her life” (10)
The contrasts between depth and surface, figure and landscape, promiscuity and modesty, beauty and vulgarity all present themselves in de Kooning’s Woman and Bicycle. Although the figure is a seemingly normal woman out for an afternoon with her bike, she becomes so much more through the artist’s use of color, contrast, and composition. The exotic nature of woman presents itself in her direct stare and slick buxom breasts in spite of a nearly indiscernible figure. It is understood that, on the whole, de Kooning did not paint with a purpose in mind, but rather as an opportunity to create an experience, however, that does not go to say that there isn’t some meaning that can come of this work. Even Willem de Kooning once said that art is not everything that is in it, but what you can take out of it (Hess p.144).
Fuentes, C. (1995). The Diary of Frida Kahlo An Intimate Self-Portrait. New York: A Times Mirror Company.
Frida Kahlo was born in a suburb of Mexico city, Coyoacán, on July 6, 1907 but claimed July 7, 1910 as her year of birth since 1910 was the beginning of the Mexican Revolution therefore, wanted her life to begin with the birth of modern Mexico. She was best known for her self-portraits and her work had been described as “surrealist”. Her works were also remembered for its pain and passion, and its vibrant, intense colors. Her work had been celebrated in Mexico as a symbol of national and native tradition.
She influenced young artists to not be afraid of what people think and to let all your emotions out on the canvas. She believed that at the end of the day, you are painting for yourself not others. It’s either that like it or they do not. Instead of being a doctor like she planned, she made paintings that had people talking for years. Along with confronting herself and the world around her, Herrera would argue, “Kahlo produced some of the most personal and original imagery of the twentieth Century.” (Herrera,
They often reduced the imagery in Kahlo’s work with an urge to “paint away” her accident, all the suffering, and the pain; this does little justice to her work, reducing it to merely a visual cry of personal anguish. It diminishes a significant aspect that is an essential element that runs throughout her life and her work, which she did with a deep intelligence and socially committed point of view.
Art is a very important part of humanity’s history, and it can be found anywhere from the walls of caves to the halls of museums. The artists that created these works of art were influenced by a multitude of factors including personal issues, politics, and other art movements. Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh, two wildly popular artists, have left behind artwork, that to this day, influences and fascinates people around the world. Their painting styles and personal lives are vastly different, but both artists managed to capture the emotions that they were feeling and used them to create artwork.
This book is a biography that focuses mainly on Kahlo’s artwork.
Frida’s life began in Coyoacan Mexico on July 6,1907. During her lifetime Kahlo embarked on many hardships caused by illness, heartache, and love. She became known for her haunting self- portraits, radical politics, and that infamous unibrow (Stephen 2008). At the age of 6 Frida contracted polio that affected mainly her right leg. When she was 18 she was involved in a nearly fatal bus accident that crushed her back, right leg and pierced her pelvis. Due to this accident Frida had to endure nearly 30 operations and was left in constant pain. As a young woman, becoming a painter was not Frida’s goal, she wanted to become a doctor. However the tragic bus accident changed the course of her life forever. It was during her months of convalescence that Frida began to take painting seriously…"to combat the boredom and pain" she said. "I felt I still had enough energy to do something other than studying to become a doctor. Without giving it any particular thought, I started painting" (Wilson 145). It was the beginning of a life-long career for Frida.
Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyocoán, Mexico City. Kahlo was one of the most famous artists in Mexico City. She was viewed by many as an icon of female creativity. Kahlo suffered from polio in 1913, she was only six years old. In 1922, Kahlo was enrolled in a premier school in Mexico. At the age of eighteen she suffered a near fatal bus accident. She suffered many fractures, including her spine, collarbone and ribs, a shattered pelvis, broken foot and dislocated shoulder. The crash left her with a lifetime of pain. After the accident Kahlo decided to leave the study of medicine behind and started to focus on painting. Despite all the pain Kahlo had, she was able to express what she was going through by painting while she recovered in a full body cast. Painting was Frida’s hobby for three months and her self-portraits became a very big part of her life. Kahlo was influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, which explains the symbols and colors in her paintings.