Frida_Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was born July 6, 1907 in the city of Coyoacan, a town about an hour’s drive from Mexico City. Christened Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon, she was commonly known as Frida. Even though she was of Hispanic descent her name actually derives from the German word, frida, which means “peace”. This was her father‘s native language. Born the third child of four, Frida was her father’s favorite. “Frida’s the most like me,” he was known to proclaim once. (Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera 16) This may be because she was a very free-spirited little girl. She was born into an artistic family. Her grandfather and father were professional photographers. Her father was commissioned by the government to photograph Mexico’s buildings and monuments. He would often take his daughter along on assignments and on Sundays when he would work on his watercolors. When she was not with her father, Frida was being taught by her mother the skills all young girls in Mexico needed to know, such as cooking and sewing. Frida, along with her sisters learned these skills before they even entered kindergarten. Everyday the family would head to the nearby church. When they walked in Frida would take notice of the Milagros, or tiny charms that hung near statues of saints. These were hung when someone needed a miraculous cure. She also took notice of the retablos, which were paintings churchgoers placed in the church to give thanks for a miracle. Frida admired these and would later be an influence in her art. Frida lived through a very painful and sad childhood. At the age of six years old, she was diagnosed with polio in her right leg. This forced the poor young girl to stay at home for nine months because of the precaution of not infecting others. The isolation was so intense for the little girl that she had to think of ways to keep herself entertained and dwelled on her imagination. In one instance she invented an imaginary friend. The way that the young Frida would meet her imaginary friend was rather interesting. She would fog up her window with her warm breath and draw a door. Through this door she would fly to the nearby village and meet her imaginary friend at the local dairy, called Pinzon. She would fly through the letter O to enter her secret world. Kahlo would rely on her friend to cheer up as she was always happy and would listen to all of her problems. It is evident that even from a young age Kahlo was a very creative person. Fortunately this disease did not leave her permanently paralyzed. After a little encouragement from her father to exercise her leg, Frida soon recovered although it remained shorter and thinner than the left leg. Often to escape the torment of the school children, she would wear extra socks and a raised right shoe. When Frida turned 15, she enrolled at the National Preparatory School in Mexico City. In a class of 2,000, Frida was one of 35 girls allowed to attend. At this point Frida aspired to become a doctor. She drew sketches of herself and friends but considered art just a hobby. It was during this time that the Mexico Revolution had just ended. The minister of education was encouraging new programs and required that all schools teach art. He also wanted to make the people more aware of the history of Mexico. Combining these two ideas, he commissioned many artists to paint murals on the walls of the National Preparatory School that would tell the story of Mexico. It was in this school where Frida Kahlo would have her first encounter with the brilliant painter, Diego Rivera. “Would it cause you any annoyance if I watched you at work'” “No, young lady, I’d be charmed.” (Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera 20) Frida Kahlo enjoyed watching Rivera’s mural come to life. During this time spent with him, her mischievous nature often caused her to pull pranks on the artist. She would steal his lunch and tease him. Once she soaped down the stairs at the perchance that she could watch him slip and fall. It was even suggested that Frida developed a crush on Diego. But he was soon forgotten when she found her first novio, or boyfriend. His name was Alejandro Gomez Arias. They saw each other as much as they possibly could. During their happy romance, however, times at home became rough. Her father’s business had slowed due to the changing government. Frida took on part-time jobs to help support the family. She held many different jobs which did not last long. Finally her father got her a job working at his friend’s print shop. There the owner taught her to draw. He assigned her to copy the prints of Anders Zorn. After looking at her sketches, he discovered that Kahlo was greatly talented. On an unsuspecting day a devastating accident had occurred to Frida and her boyfriend Alejandro. While taking a bus back to her town a trolley collided with it. Many people were thrown under and killed. Alejandro was one of them. Miraculously he was unscathed. Though alive, Frida was not so fortunate. She had been pierced with a metal handrail along with suffering from a broken spine, collarbone, ribs, pelvis and a twisted and crushed right leg. This would be the catalyst that would set Frida on the path of a painter. Confined to a full body cast for a month and later bed rest for three more Frida took up painting to get her through this hard time. Her first painting was a self-portrait done using her father’s oil paints and a mirror on the ceiling above her bed. Her mother had ordered for a special easel that fit right over her lap so that she could remain laying flat on her back. She gave this finished painting to Alejandro. “Put it in a low place so that you can see it as if you are looking at me.” (Frida Kahlo 37) Frida missed Alejandro deeply and sent him this note accompanying her painting. However, the arduous trek to Coyoacan eventually grew to be too much. Later, Alejandro’s parents sent him away to Europe and inevitably their relationship ended. By this point Frida had given up on her dreams to attend medical school. Knowing that her parents were burdened by her medical bills she hoped to earn money selling her paintings. When Kahlo had recovered enough to walk about she sought out Diego Rivera. “– I want you to tell me whether you think I can become a good artist to make it worth my while to go on. I’ve brought three of my paintings here. Will you come and look at them'” (Frida Kahlo 39) Rivera agreed and was impressed at what he saw. Frida however wanted to make it perfectly clear to him that she was no “art lover” and only painted to make a living. They began to spend more and more time together. Soon after their second encounter, six years after their first, they began a courtship and eventually were married despite her parent’s objections. Aside from being famous for his murals that he painted in Mexico, Rivera is widely known for having Frida Kahlo realize her talents. Their unlikely, but happy, marriage only lasted 5 years. Frida and Diego returned to Mexico after he had finished commissions from the United States. He gave in to his wife’s wishes to return home, although he was unhappy. Before long, Frida discovered that he was having an affair, with her beloved sister, Christina, nonetheless. This led to their divorce. During this time Frida only created two paintings. One being A Few Small Nips which was based on a story she had read about a husband having stabbed his wife. She channeled her emotions into her art. On the day that their divorce was being finalized, Frida had finished her infamous painting known as The Two Fridas. The painting depicts a Frida dressed in a white Victorian wedding dress and the other in traditional Mexican dress. The two sit and hold hands. The heart from the Frida in white is cut open and connected with arteries to a heart that is whole belonging to the other Frida. They represented the Frida that Diego once loved and the Frida that he no longer loved. Their separation did not last long. Frida’s health began to deteriorate due to the stress of their separation and it was having a bad effect on Rivera too. Six months after their divorce they remarried. Frida continued her success has a famous painter. She had a couple of her own solo exhibitions which were very popular. After a time Frida began to move onto still-life paintings. It was thought that these were self-portraits in a different form. She was also influenced by Mexican traditions and modern-day Mexican art including the retablos that she had admired as a youngster. She enjoyed the celebrations of Mexican holidays. Her favorite was the Day of the Dead. Often times her paintings featured skeletons and other symbols of death. As she grew older she began to share her talents with students at the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Her health would however fail her and could no longer make the long commute to the school. Instead, she held her classes at her house in Coyoacan. Soon this was no longer manageable. She was heavily dosed on medication and a string of more ailments befell her. Overnight on July 13, 1954 Frida Kahlo passed away. Her death had a negative effect on Rivera and soon after suffered a stroke and died. Twenty years after Kahlo’s death, Americans began to take notice of her work. She became a huge phenomenon around the world. Her artwork sells for very high prices going for over one-million dollars. Her life has also inspired a major motion picture. The legacy of Frida Kahlo continues to live on. “Friend of the people, great daughter of Mexico – you are still alive!” Works Cited Sabbeth, Carol. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Chicago: Chicago Review Press Inc., 2005 Drucker, Malka. Frida Kahlo New York: Bantam Books, 1991 Garza, Hedda. Frida Kahlo. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.