Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter, is well-known for her symbolic subjects, vivid canvases and large number of self-portraits. Her paintings are deeply personal and are inspired by “whatever passes [her] mind without any other consideration.” It can be difficult to understand the messages and motifs in her paintings, which are intimate and symbolic. However, when viewed from a context lens, it becomes clear that the meanings behind her beautiful paintings start to emerge.
Kahlo’s oeuvre explores many themes, including her interest in her heritage and ancestry to her struggles with childlessness as well as her femininity and struggle with it. Two major events that are most prominently in Kahlo’s life revolve around her divorce from Diego Rivera, a fellow artist, and an almost fatal accident that she survived as a teenager. We will contextualize seven her most well-known paintings to help you understand the themes, thoughts and emotions.
Learn about 7 famous Frida Kahlo paintings.
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird, 1940
Kahlo created 55 self-portraits over the course of her career. This piece is still one of her most well-recognized self portraits. It’s because of the emotional context it was created in and the symbolic nature its imagery.
This piece was completed by Kahlo in 1940, just one year after her divorce from Diego Rivera, a Mexican muralist. Self-Portrait With Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, based on the time of its creation is widely believed to reflect her emotional state after the split.
Kahlo is shown in the painting positioned between a stalking leopard and a monkey. Rivera and Kahlo had many monkeys as pets. Many speculated that these monkeys were surrogates for the unborn children Rivera was unable to conceive. A necklace made of thorns is worn around her neck and decorated with a lifeless hummingbird. Although the unusual accessory draws blood from her neck it doesn’t affect her outlook. Kahlo’s calm approach to pain is typical. Even though she was devastated by her divorce, Kahlo piquely said that “at the end, we can endure more than we think.”
The Two Fridas, 1939
The Two Fridas, like Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace & Hummingbird was created in response to Kahlo being separated from Rivera. Kahlo shows two sides of her self in this piece. She depicts herself as a brokenhearted woman wearing a traditional European gown. Her heart is full and she is wearing a modern Mexican gown, which she adopted after she married Rivera.
The two Fridas are seated together on a bench and hold hands. They are not only bonded by their embrace; from their hearts, a single vein grows and wraps around them. Frida cut the vein on the left with a surgical knife, causing it bleed. The vein that leads to Rivera’s tiny portrait is visible on the right. It is clutched tightly by Frida and almost invisible to untrained eyes.
This self-portrait is likely to reflect the inner struggle Kahlo faced with identity as she dealt divorce. Although the subject matter may seem surreal, Kahlo insists that this iconography is rooted in real life and a direct reflection her personality. She explained, “I don’t paint nightmares or dreams.” “I create my reality.”
Self Portrait with Cropped Hair 1940
Kahlo attempted to reinvent herself after her divorce. She painted Self Portrait with Cropped Hair as a rebellion against her husband.
The artist is shown sitting on a bright yellow chair, with her scissors in hand and hair in her hands. She is dressed in a suit and short haircut. A pertinent line from a Mexican folk song is displayed above her. It is translated as: “Look, my hair was the reason I loved you.” “Now that you have no hair, I don’t love you any more.”
Kahlo’s androgynous approach in Self Portrait With Cropped Hair clearly shows that she is not the same woman as her flowing hair, long dresses and feminine jewelry seen in many of her images. It is interesting to note that this is not her first attempt at a masculine appearance. It is evident that the artist wore suits as a teenager and child, even though her female friends and relatives opted for a more feminine appearance.
Self-Portrait of the Borderline between Mexico and the United States, 1932
Kahlo lived with Rivera in America for four years, from 1930-1934. Kahlo was a successful artist and enjoyed the spotlight, but she also experienced hardships like failed pregnancies. This Frida Kahlo kunstwerke Self-Portrait at the Borderline between Mexico and the United States shows Kahlo’s disapproval for the American capitalist culture and her longing to return to the Mexican agrarian lifestyle.
The right shows a simplified depiction of Detroit, which River lived in. It is comprised of tall skyscrapers as well as a plant that produces plumes of smoke. The left side shows a picture of Mexico with plants, vegetables and ancient statues. There are also temple ruins. Despite being deeply unhappy, Kahlo learned a lot about art and was able experiment with different media.
1936. My grandparents, my parents, and me (Family Tree).
Kahlo has created two family tree paintings, My Grandparents and My Parents. It shows her mixed-race heritage. On the left is her Mexican mother and Mexican maternal grandparents, while on the right is her German father, German grandparents, and on the right her German grandfather. Kahlo also includes a picture of her as a young child, standing in the middle and holding the ribbon that connects all these figures.
The Broken Column, 1944
“I have had two major accidents in my life. The train was the first, and Diego was the second. Diego was the worst.” In 1925 Kahlo, then 18, was in a streetcar crash that left her with a fractured spinal column and other serious injuries. Broken Column is Kahlo’s tragic account of the long-lasting effects of the accident.
After spinal surgery, Kahlo is depicted in the painting. Except for a hospital sheet, a metal corset and a hospital sheet, Kahlo’s body is pierced by nails. This may be an allusion to the Christian iconography of Christ at the cross. The painting is then shown open. A crumbling Ionic column is visible in the crack between her spine and her body. It symbolizes her broken body. A barren landscape with fissures is visible in the background. Overhead, a stormy sky can be seen.
Kahlo’s 1929 painting of The Bus reflects what she saw moments before her life-altering accident.
The Wounded Deer (1946).
Another self-portrait, The Wounded Deer, addresses the emotional and physical pain that Kahlo experienced after her injuries.
Kahlo depicts herself as a deer in the piece. This choice may have been inspired by Granizo, her beloved pet. It is obvious that the deer will die after being struck by arrows. Kahlo was already in declining health at the time the painting was created. She was not only unable to perform corrective surgeries, but also continued physical pain from her accident. She also suffered from gangrene as well as other diseases.
The Wounded Deer, just like The Broken Column refers to Christian iconography. According to the bible Saint Sebastian, a martyr and early Christian saint, was killed by an arrow attack. His death is a topic that has been popular in art for centuries and probably inspired Kahlo to choose his subject matter.
Kahlo died in 1954. Her highly personal approach to art has allowed her to keep her innermost emotions and her admirable imagination alive through a fascinating collection of works.