"autoretrato con traje de terciopelo", 1926
"This is Frida's first self-portrait. It was painted as a gift for her student boyfriend, Alejandro Gomez Arias, who had left her. It was given as a token of love by which she hoped to restore his affection and keep her in his thoughts. Her plea for his love worked and, not long after Alejandro received the portrait, they were rejoined.
The aristocratic pose reflects Frida's interest in the paintings of the Italian Renaissance period. This self-portrait is Frida's interpretation of Botticelli's "Venus" which Alejandro admired.
Frida began this self-portrait in the summer of 1926 and sent it to Alejandro in late September. On the back of the painting she inscribed a dedication: "For Alex. Frida Kahlo, at the age of 17, September 1926 - Coyoacan -Heute ist Immer Noch" (Today still goes on).
In March of 1927, Alejandro's parents sent him on a tour of Europe with his uncle…mainly to separate him from Frida, of whom they did not approve. Before leaving, he returned the painting to Frida for safe keeping.
This self-portrait was one of four paintings that Frida took to show Diego Rivera and ask his opinion of her work. After viewing the paintings, Rivera remarked that he was most interested in this self-portrait "...because it is the most original" he said."
The aristocratic pose reflects Frida's interest in the paintings of the Italian Renaissance period. This self-portrait is Frida's interpretation of Botticelli's "Venus" which Alejandro admired.
Frida began this self-portrait in the summer of 1926 and sent it to Alejandro in late September. On the back of the painting she inscribed a dedication: "For Alex. Frida Kahlo, at the age of 17, September 1926 - Coyoacan -Heute ist Immer Noch" (Today still goes on).
In March of 1927, Alejandro's parents sent him on a tour of Europe with his uncle…mainly to separate him from Frida, of whom they did not approve. Before leaving, he returned the painting to Frida for safe keeping.
This self-portrait was one of four paintings that Frida took to show Diego Rivera and ask his opinion of her work. After viewing the paintings, Rivera remarked that he was most interested in this self-portrait "...because it is the most original" he said."
"Autorretrato en la frontera
entre Mexico y los Estados Unidos", 1932
"After being in the United States for nearly three years, Frida was growing homesick for Mexico. In this painting, Frida makes clear her ambivalent feelings towards "Gringolandia" (the United States).
In an uncharacteristically sweet elegant pink dress and white gloves, she stands like a statue on a pedestal between the two different worlds. In her hand she holds a Mexican flag which must indicate where her loyalties lie. On one side, the ancient Mexican landscape, with its rich warm natural earthy colors, exotic plants and pieces of Aztec sculpture. The forces of nature and the natural life cycle govern the Mexican side.
On the other side, the dead, technology-dominated landscape of the United State is portrayed in dull greys and blues. There is just one link between the two worlds: an electricity generator standing on the U.S. soil draws its power from the roots of a plant on the Mexican side, which it then supplies to the socket on the pedestal on which Frida is standing. The legend on the pedestal reads: "Carmen Rivera painted her portrait the year 1932". (Carmen was Frida's baptism name.)"
In an uncharacteristically sweet elegant pink dress and white gloves, she stands like a statue on a pedestal between the two different worlds. In her hand she holds a Mexican flag which must indicate where her loyalties lie. On one side, the ancient Mexican landscape, with its rich warm natural earthy colors, exotic plants and pieces of Aztec sculpture. The forces of nature and the natural life cycle govern the Mexican side.
On the other side, the dead, technology-dominated landscape of the United State is portrayed in dull greys and blues. There is just one link between the two worlds: an electricity generator standing on the U.S. soil draws its power from the roots of a plant on the Mexican side, which it then supplies to the socket on the pedestal on which Frida is standing. The legend on the pedestal reads: "Carmen Rivera painted her portrait the year 1932". (Carmen was Frida's baptism name.)"
"Mis abuelos,
mis padres y yo" , 1936
"This is the first of two family portraits in which Frida was tracing the history of her ancestry. She appears as a little girl in the courtyard of the Blue House in Coyoacan, Mexico, where she was born.
Her parents are behind her, in a pose taken from their wedding photograph taken in 1898. The fetus in her mother's womb is Frida before birth and below she painted the fertilization of an egg indicating the very beginning of her life at conception. Frida holds a red ribbon that leads to her Grandparents.
Her maternal Grandparents are to the left over the mountainous Mexican landscape and a nopal cactus, which is in symbolic form on the Mexican flag.
Her father's parents, of German ancestry, are positioned over the sea, which indicates their European origin.In this painting, Frida paints herself with her signature single eyebrow, which it appears she inherited from her father's mother.
In November of 1938, this painting was shown at Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. It was shown with the title: "My Family" and purchased by the psychiatrist Dr. Allan Roos."
Her parents are behind her, in a pose taken from their wedding photograph taken in 1898. The fetus in her mother's womb is Frida before birth and below she painted the fertilization of an egg indicating the very beginning of her life at conception. Frida holds a red ribbon that leads to her Grandparents.
Her maternal Grandparents are to the left over the mountainous Mexican landscape and a nopal cactus, which is in symbolic form on the Mexican flag.
Her father's parents, of German ancestry, are positioned over the sea, which indicates their European origin.In this painting, Frida paints herself with her signature single eyebrow, which it appears she inherited from her father's mother.
In November of 1938, this painting was shown at Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. It was shown with the title: "My Family" and purchased by the psychiatrist Dr. Allan Roos."
"Recuerdo", 1937
In this self-portrait, Frida finds a pictorial means to express the anguish that she suffered during the affair between her husband, Diego Rivera, and her sister Cristina.
Her broken heart lies at her feet; its enormous size symbolizes the intensity of her pain. She illustrates her feelings of helplessness and despair through her lack of hands. Her face, though tearful, is expressionless.
Her hair is cropped to spite Diego who greatly admired her long flowing hair. She wears the European-style clothes she favored when she was separated from Diego who much preferred her in Tehuana costume. The foot placed over water wears an apparatus that looks like a sailboat and may refer to a recent foot operation. The hole left by Frida's extracted heart is pierced with a steel rod and seesawing cupids sit on either end. The greater the pain Frida wishes to convey, the bloodier her self-portraits become.
The title of this full-length self-portrait, "Memory", may suggest that the painting also portrays some memories of better times with Diego. The school uniform that hangs in the background may remind her of when she, as a young school girl, first met Diego. The Tehuana dress is a reminder of how much Diego admired her when she adorned the native costume.
The jacket she is wearing is the same jacket she wore in a 1935 photo taken by Lucienne Bloch….one of only a few photos of Frida with short hair. She cut off her hair to spite Diego who loved her long flowing hair.
In November of 1938, this painting was shown at Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. It was shown with the title: "The Heart".
Frida gave this painting to Michel Petitjean, head of the Renou and Colle gallery in Paris.
This painting was auctioned by Christie's, New York, in May of 1992. It sold for $935.000.
Her broken heart lies at her feet; its enormous size symbolizes the intensity of her pain. She illustrates her feelings of helplessness and despair through her lack of hands. Her face, though tearful, is expressionless.
Her hair is cropped to spite Diego who greatly admired her long flowing hair. She wears the European-style clothes she favored when she was separated from Diego who much preferred her in Tehuana costume. The foot placed over water wears an apparatus that looks like a sailboat and may refer to a recent foot operation. The hole left by Frida's extracted heart is pierced with a steel rod and seesawing cupids sit on either end. The greater the pain Frida wishes to convey, the bloodier her self-portraits become.
The title of this full-length self-portrait, "Memory", may suggest that the painting also portrays some memories of better times with Diego. The school uniform that hangs in the background may remind her of when she, as a young school girl, first met Diego. The Tehuana dress is a reminder of how much Diego admired her when she adorned the native costume.
The jacket she is wearing is the same jacket she wore in a 1935 photo taken by Lucienne Bloch….one of only a few photos of Frida with short hair. She cut off her hair to spite Diego who loved her long flowing hair.
In November of 1938, this painting was shown at Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. It was shown with the title: "The Heart".
Frida gave this painting to Michel Petitjean, head of the Renou and Colle gallery in Paris.
This painting was auctioned by Christie's, New York, in May of 1992. It sold for $935.000.
"Cuatro habitantes
de la Ciudad de México", 1938
"In this painting, a small Indian girl, dressed in a typical Tehuana costume, appears with a cast of characters based on artifacts owned by the Riveras. Some say the little girl is Frida but the child lacks Frida's signature uni-brow. She may symbolize the Indian heritage within Frida. The cast includes a Judas, a pre-Columbian idol, a clay skeleton, and a straw man riding a donkey. They are all enclosed in a large arena, a plaza near her home in Coyoacan. In the far distance, the desolate buildings that surround the square include La Rosita, a bar where Frida and her art students painted murals in the 1940s and 1950s.
"The plaza is empty," Frida said, "because too much revolution has left Mexico empty." The Judas represents the stereotypical macho male. His enormous size and the blue overalls identify him with Diego, who at one point kept a nearly identical Judas next to his easel. Next to the Judas is just the opposite, the passive pregnant female idol. The skeleton is a frequent player in the unfolding drama of Frida's art, for death was ever present within her. Frida said this one was "very gay, a joke", but it wouldn't have been funny to a child. Behind the skeleton, the straw man on his burrow captures the fragility of Mexican life.
Frida painted him, she said, "because he is weak, and at the same time has such elegance and is so easy to destroy". Sitting on the ground, sucking her finger and clutching her skirt, the child looks lost and abandoned. None of the four inhabitants take any notice of her. She is connected to them only by their shadows. This is the only Kahlo painting in which there are shadows.
In November of 1938, this painting was shown at Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. It was shown with the title: "The Square is Theirs".
This painting was auctioned by Sotheby's, New York, in May of 1996. It sold for $882.500."
"The plaza is empty," Frida said, "because too much revolution has left Mexico empty." The Judas represents the stereotypical macho male. His enormous size and the blue overalls identify him with Diego, who at one point kept a nearly identical Judas next to his easel. Next to the Judas is just the opposite, the passive pregnant female idol. The skeleton is a frequent player in the unfolding drama of Frida's art, for death was ever present within her. Frida said this one was "very gay, a joke", but it wouldn't have been funny to a child. Behind the skeleton, the straw man on his burrow captures the fragility of Mexican life.
Frida painted him, she said, "because he is weak, and at the same time has such elegance and is so easy to destroy". Sitting on the ground, sucking her finger and clutching her skirt, the child looks lost and abandoned. None of the four inhabitants take any notice of her. She is connected to them only by their shadows. This is the only Kahlo painting in which there are shadows.
In November of 1938, this painting was shown at Kahlo's first solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. It was shown with the title: "The Square is Theirs".
This painting was auctioned by Sotheby's, New York, in May of 1996. It sold for $882.500."
"Autorretrato con un mono", 1938
"In Mexican mythology, the monkey is the patron of the dance, but also a symbol of lust. Here, however, the artist portrays the animal as a living, tender and soulful being with its arm placed protectively around her neck. In this self-portrait and repeated in others to come, Frida uses a claustrophobic background of a tight curtain of leaves which pushes the image out towards the viewer. This was a style that she borrowed from another artist, Alfredo Ramos Martinez.
The painting was commissioned by A. Conger Goodyear, then president of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, after seeing her exhibition at the Julien Levy's gallery in October of 1938. He originally wanted to buy the painting "Fulang Chang And I" from her exhibition but Frida had already given it to her friend Mary Schapiro Sklar."
The painting was commissioned by A. Conger Goodyear, then president of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, after seeing her exhibition at the Julien Levy's gallery in October of 1938. He originally wanted to buy the painting "Fulang Chang And I" from her exhibition but Frida had already given it to her friend Mary Schapiro Sklar."
"El suicidio de Dorothy Hale", 1938
This is one of Frida's most shocking and controversial paintings. Frida painted it in the style of an "ex-voto (retablo)". The unfortunate victim in this painting is Dorothy Hale, actress and Ziegfeld showgirl. Hale's life suddenly took a turn for the worse when her husband was killed in an automobile accident. Her Hollywood career was failing, she was in severe financial trouble, and, in the end was living on charity from friends. On October 21 of 1938, wearing her favorite black dress and a corsage of small yellow roses, she jumped to her death from the top window of her luxury high-rise apartment suite.
Clare Boothe Luce, publisher of the fashion magazine "Vanity Fair", commissioned Frida to paint a portrait of her long time friend, Dorothy. The portrait was to be a gift to Dorothy's grieving mother. Frida suggested a"recuerdo" (remembrance) style painting. Although Clare didn't really understand what that was all about, she nonetheless agreed. What Kahlo created was a graphic, narrative "Ex-Voto", detailing every step of Hale's suicide, placing the corpse at the bottom on a stage-like platform in the foreground. At the bottom, blood red lettering details the tragic event:
"In New York City on the 21st of October 1938, at 6:00 in the morning, Dorothy Hale committed suicide by throwing herself from a very high window in the Hampshire House. In her memory [...], this retablo was executed by Frida Kahlo."
When Boothe received the painting she was horrified at what she saw. She was expecting a "portrait" of Dorothy….not a pictorial reenactment of her suicide….and certainly inappropriate as a gift to Dorothy's mother. Her immediate reaction was to destroy the painting but friends convinced her not to. At Clare's request, part of the third line of text that once read"painted at the request of Clare Boothe Luce, for the mother of Dorothy" has been painted over. Another part of the painting was also changed: an angel that once appeared at the top was removed.
At the time this was painted, Frida was separated from Diego and was having her own thoughts about suicide. This painting may be a reflection Frida's compassion for women who are driven to despair by male desertion.
Clare gave the painting to her friend Frank Crowninshield. After Crowninshield's death, it was returned by his son and was not seen for decades. It mysteriously appeared one day at the front door of the Phoenix Art Museum where it is currently on display.
Clare Boothe Luce, publisher of the fashion magazine "Vanity Fair", commissioned Frida to paint a portrait of her long time friend, Dorothy. The portrait was to be a gift to Dorothy's grieving mother. Frida suggested a"recuerdo" (remembrance) style painting. Although Clare didn't really understand what that was all about, she nonetheless agreed. What Kahlo created was a graphic, narrative "Ex-Voto", detailing every step of Hale's suicide, placing the corpse at the bottom on a stage-like platform in the foreground. At the bottom, blood red lettering details the tragic event:
"In New York City on the 21st of October 1938, at 6:00 in the morning, Dorothy Hale committed suicide by throwing herself from a very high window in the Hampshire House. In her memory [...], this retablo was executed by Frida Kahlo."
When Boothe received the painting she was horrified at what she saw. She was expecting a "portrait" of Dorothy….not a pictorial reenactment of her suicide….and certainly inappropriate as a gift to Dorothy's mother. Her immediate reaction was to destroy the painting but friends convinced her not to. At Clare's request, part of the third line of text that once read"painted at the request of Clare Boothe Luce, for the mother of Dorothy" has been painted over. Another part of the painting was also changed: an angel that once appeared at the top was removed.
At the time this was painted, Frida was separated from Diego and was having her own thoughts about suicide. This painting may be a reflection Frida's compassion for women who are driven to despair by male desertion.
Clare gave the painting to her friend Frank Crowninshield. After Crowninshield's death, it was returned by his son and was not seen for decades. It mysteriously appeared one day at the front door of the Phoenix Art Museum where it is currently on display.
''Las dos frida's'', 1939
"Shortly after her divorce from Diego Rivera, Frida completed this self-portrait of two different personalities. In her diary, Frida writes that this painting originated from her memory of an imaginary childhood friend. Later she admitted it records the emotions surrounding her separation and martial crisis.
On the right, the part of her person which was respected and loved by Diego, is the Mexican Frida in Tehuana costume. In her hand she holds an amulet bearing the portrait of Diego as a child.
On the left, a more rather European Frida in a lacy white Victorian wedding dress, the Frida that Diego abandoned. The hearts of the two women lie exposed, a device Frida often used to express her pain. The unloved Frida's heart is broken while the other Frida's heart is whole.
From the amulet that Frida is holding springs a vein that travels through both women's hearts and is finally cut off by the surgical pincers held in the lap of the rejected Frida. In despair, Frida tries to stop the flow of blood from Diego but it keeps dripping…she is in danger of bleeding to death. The stormy sky filled with agitated clouds may reflect Frida's inner turmoil. Holding her own hand, she is her only companion.
In 1947, this painting was purchased by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Institute of Fine Arts) in Mexico City. The purchase price was 4,000 Pesos (about $1,000) for the painting and an additional 36 Pesos for the frame. That was the most Frida was ever paid for a painting during her lifetime.
A reproduction of this painting is on display in the Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacán, Mexico."
On the right, the part of her person which was respected and loved by Diego, is the Mexican Frida in Tehuana costume. In her hand she holds an amulet bearing the portrait of Diego as a child.
On the left, a more rather European Frida in a lacy white Victorian wedding dress, the Frida that Diego abandoned. The hearts of the two women lie exposed, a device Frida often used to express her pain. The unloved Frida's heart is broken while the other Frida's heart is whole.
From the amulet that Frida is holding springs a vein that travels through both women's hearts and is finally cut off by the surgical pincers held in the lap of the rejected Frida. In despair, Frida tries to stop the flow of blood from Diego but it keeps dripping…she is in danger of bleeding to death. The stormy sky filled with agitated clouds may reflect Frida's inner turmoil. Holding her own hand, she is her only companion.
In 1947, this painting was purchased by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Institute of Fine Arts) in Mexico City. The purchase price was 4,000 Pesos (about $1,000) for the painting and an additional 36 Pesos for the frame. That was the most Frida was ever paid for a painting during her lifetime.
A reproduction of this painting is on display in the Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacán, Mexico."
"Retablo", 1940
"In 1925, at the age of 18, Frida was on her way home from school on a bus that collided with a trolley car. Frida sustained a broken pelvic bone, spinal column, and other severe injuries, leading doctors to doubt whether she would survive.
Frida found a votive (religious) painting that was very similar to a pencil sketch she drew about her accident. It so closely resembled her own accident that only a little retouching by Frida was needed to transform it into an "ex-voto (retablo)" representation of her own experience. She added the writing on the bus and tram and gave the unfortunate victim her characteristic close-knit eyebrows.
At the bottom she added an inscription that reads: "Mr. and Mrs. Guillermo Kahlo and Matilde C. de Kahlo give thanks to Our Lady of Sorrows for saving their daughter Frida from the accident which took place in 1925 on the corner of Cuahutemozin and Calzada de Tlalpah." "
Frida found a votive (religious) painting that was very similar to a pencil sketch she drew about her accident. It so closely resembled her own accident that only a little retouching by Frida was needed to transform it into an "ex-voto (retablo)" representation of her own experience. She added the writing on the bus and tram and gave the unfortunate victim her characteristic close-knit eyebrows.
At the bottom she added an inscription that reads: "Mr. and Mrs. Guillermo Kahlo and Matilde C. de Kahlo give thanks to Our Lady of Sorrows for saving their daughter Frida from the accident which took place in 1925 on the corner of Cuahutemozin and Calzada de Tlalpah." "
"Autorretrato con
collar de espinas", 1940
"In this painting, Frida paints herself in a frontal pose to enhance the immediacy of her presence. She has unraveled Christ's crown of thorns and wears it as a necklace, presenting herself as a Christian martyr. The thorns digging into her neck are symbolic of the pain she still feels over her divorce from Diego. Hanging from the thorny necklace is a dead hummingbird whose outstretched wings echo Frida's joined eyebrows.
In Mexican folk tradition, dead hummingbirds were used as charms to bring luck in love. Over her left shoulder the black cat, a symbol of bad luck and death, waits to pounce on the hummingbird. Over her right shoulder the symbol of the devil, her pet monkey…a gift from Diego. Around her hair, butterflies represent the Resurrection. Once again, Frida uses a wall of large tropical plant leaves as the background.
Frida had previously painted a self-portrait that was meant for her lover, the photographer Nickolas Muray. However, after her divorce from Diego she had to sell the painting to raise money for a divorce lawyer. As a replacement, she painted this self-portrait for Muray."
In Mexican folk tradition, dead hummingbirds were used as charms to bring luck in love. Over her left shoulder the black cat, a symbol of bad luck and death, waits to pounce on the hummingbird. Over her right shoulder the symbol of the devil, her pet monkey…a gift from Diego. Around her hair, butterflies represent the Resurrection. Once again, Frida uses a wall of large tropical plant leaves as the background.
Frida had previously painted a self-portrait that was meant for her lover, the photographer Nickolas Muray. However, after her divorce from Diego she had to sell the painting to raise money for a divorce lawyer. As a replacement, she painted this self-portrait for Muray."
"Que bonita es la vida cuando
nos da sus riquezas", 1943
"This appears to be one of the many still life paintings created by Kahlo in her lifetime. Nearly all of Kahlo's still life paintings included watermelons and coconuts. The clock, which is present in other Kahlo paintings, may be a symbol of her life passing by.
Inscribed on the banner at the bottom is the title of the painting: "How Beautiful Life is When It Gives Us Its Riches". The painting is signed and dated on the back: "Painted by Frida Kahlo, 1943".
Every since I first saw this painting I suspected that something about it was not right. It does not have the quality and detail of other paintings from that year. The colors don't seem to be the colors she would have used in this style of painting. It appears to be something she would have done in the late 1920s or early 1930s…not in the 1940s. Also, the signature on the back is not consistent with her signature on other paintings.
In 1988, three renowned Kahlo "Gurus", Helga Prignitz-Poda, Salomón Grimberg and Andrea Kettenmann, embarked upon an ambitious project to identify and catalog every piece of Kahlo art: paintings, drawings, sketches, watercolors and some artifacts. During their research, they concluded that this painting is a forgery and was not painted by Kahlo."
Inscribed on the banner at the bottom is the title of the painting: "How Beautiful Life is When It Gives Us Its Riches". The painting is signed and dated on the back: "Painted by Frida Kahlo, 1943".
Every since I first saw this painting I suspected that something about it was not right. It does not have the quality and detail of other paintings from that year. The colors don't seem to be the colors she would have used in this style of painting. It appears to be something she would have done in the late 1920s or early 1930s…not in the 1940s. Also, the signature on the back is not consistent with her signature on other paintings.
In 1988, three renowned Kahlo "Gurus", Helga Prignitz-Poda, Salomón Grimberg and Andrea Kettenmann, embarked upon an ambitious project to identify and catalog every piece of Kahlo art: paintings, drawings, sketches, watercolors and some artifacts. During their research, they concluded that this painting is a forgery and was not painted by Kahlo."
"Raíces", 1943
"In this self-portrait, Frida goes back to the theme of nature. She is fusing with a plant, becoming a part of the earth. A childless woman's dream of fertility in which her torso opens up like a window that gives birth to a vine. Frida's blood courses through the vine and into red vesicles that extend beyond the vine to feed the parched earth. With her elbow propped on a pillow, she sees herself as a tree of life. In this painting, Frida seems to be nourishing the Mexican earth.
In 1953, Frida sent this painting, and 4 other works, to the British Arts Council's Mexican art exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. At the exhibition, the title of this painting was "El Pedregal" (The Volcanic Rock Bed) which refers to the lava bed upon which she rests.
In May of 2006, this painting was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York and sold for $5,616,000....setting a new record for the artist. It was sold to an anonymous phone bidder. Rumors within the art world say that the anonymous buyer was the pop star "Madonna" who owns other Kahlo originals.
Prior to the recent sale, this painting was part of the collection of Marilyn O. Lubetkin of Houston, Texas."
In 1953, Frida sent this painting, and 4 other works, to the British Arts Council's Mexican art exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. At the exhibition, the title of this painting was "El Pedregal" (The Volcanic Rock Bed) which refers to the lava bed upon which she rests.
In May of 2006, this painting was auctioned at Sotheby's in New York and sold for $5,616,000....setting a new record for the artist. It was sold to an anonymous phone bidder. Rumors within the art world say that the anonymous buyer was the pop star "Madonna" who owns other Kahlo originals.
Prior to the recent sale, this painting was part of the collection of Marilyn O. Lubetkin of Houston, Texas."
"Diego y Frida
1929-1944", 1944
"Frida painted this double portrait as a gift for her husband Diego on their 15th wedding anniversary. She later repainted another version of it to keep for herself. The dates in the title, 1929-1944, represent their years of marriage (excluding the brief period they were divorced in 1939-1940). The painting expresses Frida's love for Rivera, showing them not as a couple, but as only one person. Both halves of faces complement each other. She merges her identity with his, creating a single head out of half of each of their faces bound together by leafless branches. In the dualistic relationship between husband and wife, reiterated in the sun and moon, the Kahlo-Rivera couple is shown to belong together. Below, the joined scallop and conch symbolize their love union."
"Sin esperanza",1945
"A lack of appetite resulting from her many surgeries and numerous illnesses, left Frida very thin. Her doctor, Dr Eloesser, prescribed complete bed rest and a fattening diet of puréed food every two hours. In this painting, the artist portrays what she considered to be a "forced feeding" diet. The wooden structure that once held her canvases for painting now holds a funnel that continuously feeds her. Not even the sugar skull on top of the heap makes the entrée look appetizing. Her arms seem to be pinned beneath a blanket decorated with microscopic life…the persistent infections that invade her body. She is unable to control the situation….the situation seems to be "Without Hope".
On the back of the painting Frida inscribed the following entry:
"A mí no me queda ya ni la menor esperanza….Todo se mueve al compás de lo que encierra la panza." ("Not the least hope remains for me....everything moves in step with what's in the belly.")
Some look at this painting and see the food being regurgitated rather than consumed. You can judge for yourself but I think clearly it's being consumed."
On the back of the painting Frida inscribed the following entry:
"A mí no me queda ya ni la menor esperanza….Todo se mueve al compás de lo que encierra la panza." ("Not the least hope remains for me....everything moves in step with what's in the belly.")
Some look at this painting and see the food being regurgitated rather than consumed. You can judge for yourself but I think clearly it's being consumed."
"El venado herido",1946
"In this painting of a young stag mortally wounded by arrows, Frida expresses the disappointment which followed the operation on her spine in New York in 1946, and which she had optimistically hoped would cure her of her back pain.Back in Mexico, however, she continued to suffer both physical pain and deep depression. In this painting, Frida presents herself with the body of a young stag and her own head crowned with antlers. Pierced by arrows and bleeding, the deer stares out at the viewer from a forest enclosure. Although the stormy, lightning-lit sky in the distance is a brightening hope for escape, but the deer will never reach it. One meaning of the word "Carma", which appears in the painting's lower-left corner, is "destiny" or "fate". In this painting, as in most of Frida's self-portraits, she presents herself as incapable of changing her own destiny.
Frida used her own pet deer "Granizo" as a model for this painting. The deer in the painting is surrounded by trees and trapped, transmitting a feeling of fear and desperation, with no way to escape from the situation.
The true meaning of this painting is open to many interpretations. Some say this painting portrays Frida's inability to change her own destiny, or, Frida's frustration over the failed surgery, or, a surreal painting of Frida enraged in the battle of the sexes.
On May 3, 1946, Frida gave this painting to her friends Lina and Arcady Boytler as a wedding gift. With it she included a hand written personal note written on a napkin that said: "I leave you my portrait to remember me all the days and nights since I left you. The sadness is portrayed throughout all of my paintings, but that’s how my condition is, it cannot be fixed”. On the other side of the napkin she wrote: “The deer walked alone, sad and very hurt, until he found in Arcady and Lina the warmth and a nest”."
Frida used her own pet deer "Granizo" as a model for this painting. The deer in the painting is surrounded by trees and trapped, transmitting a feeling of fear and desperation, with no way to escape from the situation.
The true meaning of this painting is open to many interpretations. Some say this painting portrays Frida's inability to change her own destiny, or, Frida's frustration over the failed surgery, or, a surreal painting of Frida enraged in the battle of the sexes.
On May 3, 1946, Frida gave this painting to her friends Lina and Arcady Boytler as a wedding gift. With it she included a hand written personal note written on a napkin that said: "I leave you my portrait to remember me all the days and nights since I left you. The sadness is portrayed throughout all of my paintings, but that’s how my condition is, it cannot be fixed”. On the other side of the napkin she wrote: “The deer walked alone, sad and very hurt, until he found in Arcady and Lina the warmth and a nest”."
"Arbol de la esperanza,
mantente firme", 1946
"Frida painted this self-portrait for her patron, the engineer Eduardo Morillo Safa, after a botched operation in New York. She wrote to him about the painting and about the scars "...which those surgeon sons of bitches landed me with". In the message "Tree of Hope, Remain Strong", which is written on her flag, she seems to be giving herself courage. The phrase is taken from one of her favorite songs, "Cielito Lindo".
In this painting we see two Fridas; the one on the left is the Frida who has just been rolled out of the operating room on a hospital trolley and the other is the forceful, upright and confident figure of Frida. The painting is divided into two halves, one day and one night. The maimed and bleeding body is assigned to the sun, which in Aztec mythology the sun is fed by sacrificial human blood. The two gaping wounds in her back are echoed in the fissures in the barren landscape behind. The other Frida, looking strong and optimistic, is assigned to the moon, a symbol of womanhood. In her hand she holds the corset that she has "Hope" of casting off forever after the surgery. Unfortunately, this surgery was terribly botched and resulted in numerous complications. It has been described as "the beginning of the end" for Frida.
In April of 1977, this painting was auctioned at Sotheby's. The auction estimate was $20,000 - $30,000 with a minimum sale price of $20,000. The painting failed to reach the minimum sale price but was sold anyway to the highest bidder for $19,000."
In this painting we see two Fridas; the one on the left is the Frida who has just been rolled out of the operating room on a hospital trolley and the other is the forceful, upright and confident figure of Frida. The painting is divided into two halves, one day and one night. The maimed and bleeding body is assigned to the sun, which in Aztec mythology the sun is fed by sacrificial human blood. The two gaping wounds in her back are echoed in the fissures in the barren landscape behind. The other Frida, looking strong and optimistic, is assigned to the moon, a symbol of womanhood. In her hand she holds the corset that she has "Hope" of casting off forever after the surgery. Unfortunately, this surgery was terribly botched and resulted in numerous complications. It has been described as "the beginning of the end" for Frida.
In April of 1977, this painting was auctioned at Sotheby's. The auction estimate was $20,000 - $30,000 with a minimum sale price of $20,000. The painting failed to reach the minimum sale price but was sold anyway to the highest bidder for $19,000."
"Congreso de los pueblos
por la paz", 1952
"Near the end of her life, Frida painted some works from bed and as a result of all the heavy pain killers and other medications, the quality of her art suffered. Here, in this painting and others of the same period, we can see that it is lacking the precise brush strokes and detail that she once used to produce. In 1952, the people of Vienna celebrated the "Congress of the peoples for peace" and Mexican plastic artists, including Frida, created works in homage to the Congress. As with other paintings, Frida depicted a background of night and day, a perpetual battle between light and dark in the Aztec culture. In the middle of both sits the peace dove as a symbol of hope. The words seem to be a part of the roots of the tree, a characteristic she previously used in her painting "Naturaleza Viva" (Living Nature) of the same year."
"Viva la vida,
sandias", 1954
"Most all Kahlo books agree that this is Frida's last painting and that 8 days before her death she added the inscription "Viva la Vida - Coyoacán 1954 Mexico". However, because of the quality of this still life, I was never convinced that it was painted in 1954. At the end of her life, Frida was heavily dependent on injections of Demerol and Morphine which weaken her and left her in a "semi-sleep" state. This seriously affected the quality of her work. If you compare this Still Life with another Still Life painted in 1954, "Still Life with Flag" for example, you will see the difference. The brush strokes and application of paint are much better and closer to the Still Life paintings she produced a couple of years earlier, i.e., "Still Life Dedicatated to Dr. Fastlicht - 1952".
In the book "Frida Kahlo - The Still Lifes", the author, Salomon Grimberg, suggests that "Viva la Vida" could not have been painted in 1954 and was probably painted in 1952 but the inscription was not included at that time. Sensing that death was imminent, just days before her death one last time Frida dipped her brush into the red paint to add the inscription and sign it…as if she was "signing off". I tend to agree with his assessment."
In the book "Frida Kahlo - The Still Lifes", the author, Salomon Grimberg, suggests that "Viva la Vida" could not have been painted in 1954 and was probably painted in 1952 but the inscription was not included at that time. Sensing that death was imminent, just days before her death one last time Frida dipped her brush into the red paint to add the inscription and sign it…as if she was "signing off". I tend to agree with his assessment."