Frida Kahlo Short Answer
Take Home Exam
2. When Frida was younger, she painted about bright and colorful things filled with the colors and forms of Mexican folk art, but after incidents like being cheated on by her husband, she began painting mostly self-portraits. Her self-portraits often depicted symbols of her physical and psychological wounds. They were a dominant part of her life when she was on bed rest during the months following her accident. Kahlo once said, "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best." Frida was a very lonely and dejected woman. Through the course of her life, she endured pain most people are fortunate enough not to go through. Events like suffering from polio, being in an accident that not only put her through an excruciating amount of pain, but further causing her to be incapable of bearing a child. Although she tried many times, having a child was out of the question. In a sense, Kahlo used paintings as a way to blow off steam and vent, sort of like a diary. She claimed, “"I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality." The sad truth is that her reality was much more daunting than any dream.
3. I think that Frida’s lifestyle is what largely drew attention to her. She had a bohemian flare and just lived as she pleased. She broke norms daily, but did not care because that’s just who she was. During her lifetime, Frida’s paintings did not get much attention and she was often referred to as Diego Rivera’s wife. Her artwork received recognition after her death due to a new artistic style in Mexico during the 1980’s called Neomexicanismo. After that, her work began being showcased in many countries outside of Mexico such as London, Sweden, Germany, and New York (USA). Furthermore, a movie was made about her life: Frida, naturaleza viva in 1983 and was a huge success. Around the same time, the first biography of Frida was published by Hayden Herrera called Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo. Following those
2. When Frida was younger, she painted about bright and colorful things filled with the colors and forms of Mexican folk art, but after incidents like being cheated on by her husband, she began painting mostly self-portraits. Her self-portraits often depicted symbols of her physical and psychological wounds. They were a dominant part of her life when she was on bed rest during the months following her accident. Kahlo once said, "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best." Frida was a very lonely and dejected woman. Through the course of her life, she endured pain most people are fortunate enough not to go through. Events like suffering from polio, being in an accident that not only put her through an excruciating amount of pain, but further causing her to be incapable of bearing a child. Although she tried many times, having a child was out of the question. In a sense, Kahlo used paintings as a way to blow off steam and vent, sort of like a diary. She claimed, “"I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality." The sad truth is that her reality was much more daunting than any dream.
3. I think that Frida’s lifestyle is what largely drew attention to her. She had a bohemian flare and just lived as she pleased. She broke norms daily, but did not care because that’s just who she was. During her lifetime, Frida’s paintings did not get much attention and she was often referred to as Diego Rivera’s wife. Her artwork received recognition after her death due to a new artistic style in Mexico during the 1980’s called Neomexicanismo. After that, her work began being showcased in many countries outside of Mexico such as London, Sweden, Germany, and New York (USA). Furthermore, a movie was made about her life: Frida, naturaleza viva in 1983 and was a huge success. Around the same time, the first biography of Frida was published by Hayden Herrera called Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo. Following those