Born in Mexico in 1907, Frida Kahlo was one of five daughters of a Hungarian-Jewish father and a Mexican mother. At the age of six she was afflicted with polio, which left her with a withered leg. At age eighteen she had an accident when the bus she was riding in coolided with a trolley. Her body was pierced by the trolley's metal handrail. Although she survived, her injuries made it impossible for her to have children. Frida Kahlo's short and painful life is reflected in the many self-portraits she created throughout her career. She had many lovers and was married twice to the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. First they got married in 1929. In 1940, after a few years of separation, they married again. Her love for Diego was obsessive. Their stormy relationship inspired many of her paintings.
Frida liked dressing in native Mexican costume and paid great attention to her hair and make-up. The numerous self-portraits she created express different moods, some are violent, others heart-rending, and others express serenity. This is how her life was, changing at all times. Frida Kahlo was a famous personality in her time, and lived a life full of drama and passion right to the end. When her first major exhibition finally opened in Mexico City's Gallery of Contemporary Art in 1953, she was not expected to attend due to the bad condition of her health. To the surprise and delight of her patrons and fans, however, she arrived on a hospital stretcher and was enthroned in her canopy bed. Less than a year later, she died from an overdose of tranquilizers.
Nowadays, Frida is still loved by many and is considered an Icon in the world of Mexican Art. A great number of painters, artists, and artisans have been and continue to be inspired by her extraordinary and intriguing work, and many have reproduced her paintings and self-portraits in a vairety of techniques.
In 2007 México celebrated 100 years of Frida Kahlo.
1 comment:
Good words.
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