Girl With Death Mask Kahlo

Her 1938 painting The Girl with Death Mask (She plays alone) resides in Nagoya City Art Museum and it is said to be a self-portrait of Kahlo as a child. In the painting the child is wearing a mask of the dead while holding a flower. Right beside her foot rests another horrific looking mask of an animal that looks like a demon, but it is said that it could represent a tiger. The masks are a traditional symbol for the annual Mexican Festival called “The Day of the Dead”. The “Day of the Dead” is considered to be a joyful holiday, where families celebrate the death of their love ones instead of mourning over them. It is the celebration of life and rebirth and they believe on that day their loved ones’ spirits would come alive and partake in the festivities with them such as dancing and

They would also make decorated altars in their homes to welcome the spirits before they leave. There is a strong connection with this painting and this holiday; people would flood the streets wearing bright colorful clothing with masks on their faces such as the little girl in the painting. Another symbol that is shown in the painting is the yellow flower the child is holding. This flower is most likely to be a tagete flower, which people place on their loved ones’ graves to mark the celebration. This painting is also a depiction of Kahlo’s feelings and the life she had to live, hence the paintings subtitle “She plays alone”. Frida Kahlo often felt alone, whether it have been physical or being alone in her mind with her thoughts. I get the impression that Kahlo did not have much of a childhood and that the young innocent girl of who she once was has died when the troubles of her life became too much to bare. The masks could also be represented as her demons that she had to face and hide behind all her life. The flower that she is holding could be seen has the only happiness or a sense of joy that she had while being in