The Life of Frida Kahlo

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Some people might recognize this talented dynamic artist by her bold unibrown and mustache but for most people it is her ability to portray her direct transcription of life into her artwork. Frida Kahlo has always being considered a controversial artist throughout her whole career. However it was her ability to reinvent herself in the public’s eye that made her memorable even after her death. Throughout her whole life she has had to deal with many obstacles such as polio diagnosis at a young child that had an effect on the way she conducted herself as  well as her art pieces. This led her to become a familiar face in real life as well as fictional life.

Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyocoan Mexico. Growing up, she lived with her father Wilhem, a German immigrant and artist, her mother and two older sisters. At the age of six years old, she contracted polio, which left her bedridden for a period of nine months. Although she fully recovered from this illness, the polio permanently damaged her right leg and foot causing her to limp. At the age of 18, she suffered a fractured spine and pelvis due to a terrible bus accident. This caused her to suffer chronic pain throughout the rest of her life.  However, in the mist of her pain, her love of painting flourished. She married famed muralist Diego Rivera in 1929 and together they traveled to the United States, staying in Detroit and New York City in the early 1930s. She showcased her paintings in major cities such as New York City and Paris. During the 1940s, she became more of an international artist and recognition of her colorful at times gruesome paintings rose. In 1954, Frida Kahlo passed away at the age of 47 due to her lifelong struggle with her health. (Frida Kahlo biography)

Frida Kahlo legacy still lived on long after her death. Her life was dramatized in seven works of fiction that appeared between 2000 and 2003. In these portrayals of Kahlo the emotional nature of the female artist is intensified even further by the conjoining of physical suffering with other forms of emotional excess, most notably an intense love of, and engagement with life (Lent). It all started with Hayden Herrera’s depiction of Frida’s life titled "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo". This became the most influential fiction work of Frida’s life because it determined the narrative structure, dominant thematic, and factual information about Frida’s life for all future work to follow (Lent). Herrera’s piece of work portrays Frida’s life in flashbacks from her physical decline to her death. This established Frida’s personal suffering as the motivating force behind her presentation of self in her real life and paintings.

Herrera biography work on Frida takes on an art historical monograph approach. The monograph posits that an artist's life and art explain each other, creating a feedback loop where the artwork can be explained only through biography, which simultaneously provides evidence for the veracity of that narrative (Lent). Monographs for women artists like Frida conform to a generic pattern of interpreting artwork through life events. A creative female artist is exceptional among woman but deficient among men. However, in order to become a famous artist, she must have a compelling life story and/or an attachment to a male artist or genius. If one were to judge Frida’s success solely on those criteria listed, then she would be considered a famous artist because she lived a fascinating life and was very attached to her husband and father who were both artist.

Frida became a popular contemporary choice for fictionalized biography because she combines multicultural background with celebrity credential that can be embedded onto an established monographic literature that already merged her art and her suffering (Lent). She follows a traditional male artist stereotype because of interpretations that portray her as self-taught, intuitive, rebellious and exceptional. However, she also follows a traditional female artist stereotype because of interpretations that portray her art career being significantly influenced by older male mentor such as her father and husband. Her life story is inspiring due to all the suffering caused by her marriage, divorce, and remarriage to Rivera and on the physical suffering caused by polio, a trolley accident, and numerous surgeries (including abortions) throughout her life (Lent).

Other fictional works inspired by Frida include fashion spreads such as the “Frida-look” in Elle, and billboard advertisements for a Metropolitan Museum of Art blockbuster exhibition that mainly feature Frida’s face. In addition, two main films were produced based on Frida’s life. One, titled “Fridamania”, which starred Madonna as the lead role made Frida a familiar face. The other film titled “Frida” by Taymor also increased Frida’s popularity as well as raised awareness of her life story.



Work Cited

"Biography.com." Frida Kahlo biography. N.p., 14 May 2008. Web. 25 Apr 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/frida-kahlo-9359496?page=3>.

Lent, Tina. Life as Art/Art as Life Dramatizing the Life and Work of Frida Kahlo. N.p., 23 March 2007. Web. 23 Apr 2012. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=103&sid=65aeebcb-05a3- 48ac-979a- eaa37db4ce70@sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZ T1zaXRl

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